Summer's Day
by Sun Daughter
Summary: The Avatar characters are ticked. Their precious fandom is dying thanks to endless couple drabbles, awful spelling/grammar, unrealistic AUs, among other things. Join your favorite characters in their quest to help young writers in this humorous parody full of useful tips and fun prompts!
1. Coffee Shop Surprise

**Up front, I would like to make my intentions clear. I am **_**not**_** targeting the advice in this story toward any person or group of individuals. This parody is for FanFiction users who would like writing tips, not for shoving my opinions down others' throats.**

**Please understand that I did not write this to display my writing expertise on a pedestal. I know I have a lot to learn. Please don't stick around to be disrespectful. Others have told me that they learn from this parody, so I will continue to write for those who are open to improvement.**

**Respectfully,  
~Summer**

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Coffee Shop Surprise**

Summer frowned angrily at her computer. She was desperately trying to finish the next chapter of her fanfic _Tasteless Honor _so she could update the story, get reviews, and feel popular.

It was the action scene and the start of a wonderfully suspenseful climax, if she did say so herself. Meredith, Summer's original character, was kidnapped by Fire Nation soldiers, and Zuko was the only one who could save her! This was the peak of the book, where the action was building up, and everything would fall into place. Zuko and OC together forever!

* * *

_Then, I saw Meredith struggling with about two dozen fire nation soldiers._

_"Meredith!" I yelled, rushing to help._

_"Zuko!" she screamed back. She sounded slightly afraid, but mostly just relieved._

_One of the soldiers grabbed her hand, but she sent him flying through the air. I sprinted toward them, fire bending from my fists. I hoped to take some off Meredith's back. There were too many, and she'd never be able to handle them all herself._

"_Let go of me," she shrieked._

* * *

Summer paused a second to think. Nothing came to her, so she did what every author does in the middle of a small writer's block.

She checked her emails.

Leaning back in her swivel chair, she lazily scrolled through FanFiction updates, messages from her friends, annoying ads telling her that an Indonesian princess needed her money… but she stopped at an e-mail that stood out from the rest.

The sender was labeled hotman25. The name sounded so familiar to Summer. Too familiar. Maybe it was that cute guy she liked who finally cared enough to email her back! She excitedly opened the message.

* * *

_Summer Dae,_

_Please meet me at the coffee shop in the shopping center across from your neighborhood at noon. Thanks, it's for your own good._

* * *

Creeper!

The email wasn't signed, and Summer had a funny feeling in her stomach that it wasn't the guy she liked. She also knew that it could be dangerous to go to a coffee shop where some sort of random computer stalker could be waiting for her.

She checked her phone; it read 11:47. Reluctantly, she dialed her best friend Ellie's number. Ellie Ricci lived down the street, and they always went to the coffee shop on sunny Saturday afternoons like this one.

"Hey, Summer. What's up?" Ellie answered her phone.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the coffee shop and get some lunch."

"Definitely. Be right over!" Ellie exclaimed and hung up the phone.

Summer breathed a sigh of relief and tucked a strand of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. With Ellie and the other customers at the coffee shop, no one would try anything strange… maybe. Stranger things had been known to happen.

She grabbed her purse, phone, and drafts of _Tasteless Honor _that she carried everywhere, and waited for Ellie on her front porch. Soon enough, her friend came skipping over to Summer's house, her shiny brown hair flying in every direction behind her.

"Ready to go?" Ellie asked with a smile, making her green eyes and pretty Italian features stand out more than usual.

They walked over to the small shopping center and headed into the coffee shop. Mr. Machonley, the coffee shop's owner, welcomed them in. "How are my favorite customers?" he asked, giving them a grin through his twisted mustache. "What would you like today?" He already had a pen and pad in hand. Both girls ordered fruit smoothies, and Mr. Machonley went off to fill the order.

"I'll be right back," Ellie said, and she headed off to the bathroom.

Summer scanned the shop, still curious about the mysterious e-mail. No one looked like they were watching her. She glanced at her cell phone; it read 12:03. Maybe the e-mail was another a scam. She scowled with disgust. She had worried and wasted her time all for nothing. At least she was getting a cool pineapple smoothie. Then she could go home and write more _Tasteless Honor_.

Suddenly, a teenager came into the shop. He was wearing a black hoodie with regular blue jeans. His hood was up which cast a shadow on his face, so none of his facial features were distinguishable. A chill went up Summer's spine. She shifted her gaze and pretended to be really interested in the table's plastic red coating, but she could practically hear every footstep he took as he approached her.

"Summer?" a raspy voice questioned.

Summer jumped at the sound and whipped around to see the hooded boy standing right behind her. She balled her fists and exclaimed, "Get back! I know karate!"

The boy touched her tight fist and lowered it away from his face. His hand was abnormally warm. _Why was he wearing a sweatshirt in seventy degree weather?_

"Calm down," he said quickly. "I'm not going to hurt you. Stop attracting attention."

Summer relaxed her shoulders but didn't lift her suspicions completely. "Who are you?" she asked.

He shifted his weight as if not sure how to approach the topic. Finally, he decided, "Well, according to fangirls, I'm some sort of lovesick, sexy swimsuit model."

"PERCY JACKSON! OH MY GOD! AM I A DEMIGOD? I KNEW THIS DAY WOULD COME! THAT EXPLAINS THE EMAIL AND HOW IT'S FOR MY OWN GOOD! AND –"

"I am not Percy Jackson!" the boy interrupted. "Who is that anyway? Some other poor, fictional character that fangirls have destroyed?"

"Well, about that…"

"That's not the point here. I'm here to help you with your writing. You need to save the Avatar fandom. It's disgraceful."

"What do you mean Avatar is disgraceful?" Summer crossed her arms. "I hated that movie! I swear, if you're M. Night Shamalama - whatever, I'm going to kick you in a place you really don't want to be kicked – "

"I'm not the director of _The Last Airbender_," the boy said, and Summer saw him roll his eyes. "I guess I'm not going to accomplish anything when you keep thinking I'm random people like M. Night and Peter Johnson –"

"Percy Jackson," Summer corrected. Her lips spread into a dreamy smile. "I love those books."

"Well, you actually do a decent job of writing for that fandom. Why can't you write better Avatar fics and do some good on FanFiction?"

"Wait… Are you Dev Patel, the boy playing Zuko in _The Last Airbender_? Man, I didn't think you'd be that good, but you definitely have the Zuko voice down. At least you're better than Jesse McCartney. He's blonde, you know."

With that last comment, the boy took off his hood to reveal a set of glowing gold eyes and a hard frown. His black bangs hung loosely over his forehead, and there was a familiar deep red scar on his left eye. In Summer's unbiased opinion, his face looked to be carved of angels. It was much more magnificent to see him in real life than as a cartoon.

She stared in awe. The face staring back at her was Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.


	2. Mary Sues - Zuko

**Welcome to the next chapter of Summer's Day. Please read, review, and check out my community.**

**Special thanks to: **_Daughter of the sea_**, for helping me with the FCP section of this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 2 – Zuko's Lessons on the Mary Sue

There was no mistaking the prince of the Fire Nation. It was definitely Zuko. Summer opened her mouth to scream, but Zuko covered it before she could utter a sound. Her eyes expressed enough excitement anyway.

"_Now_ do you think I'm Dev Patel?" he asked. Summer shook her head.

"Mmmm," she muffled.

"When I let go of your mouth, you are not going to scream."

"Mmhmm…"

Zuko lifted his hand from Summer's mouth and her jaw dropped.

"You're… actually… him…" she gasped in awe. Her eyes had that lovesick look in them again, and she felt as though she would faint. Zuko swiped his hood back up.

"Yes, I believe we've established that."

"Oh my God! Just wait until I tell Ellie!" she squealed excitedly.

"You can't," Zuko said quickly. Summer frowned.

"Why not?" she demanded.

"She's taking a walk…" Zuko's voice trailed off. "...with Sokka." A confused look crossed Summer's face. "Just forget it," Zuko continued. "You've got the better end of the deal here. I know how to take care of an OC Mary Sue."

"Excuse me?"

"Meredith is a Mary Sue," Zuko said. "I've met her. In real life, she's not that bad. She's pretty cute actually, but I need someone like Mai to bring out the calm part of me. I'm all for canon couples."

"Mai?" Summer questioned. "I mean, I'm all Kataang, Zuko, but you and Mai? I even like Zutara better than Maiko. Are you serious?"

"She makes me happy, and don't forget it," Zuko snapped. "I chose her at the end of the series, not Katara. We'd fight too much. Fire and water?" Zuko shook his head. "Not even in Zutarians' dreams."

"Whatever you say," Summer said quickly, hoping not to offend the hot-tempered firebender. She liked Zutara; it was hot and steamy and fun to write fics for.

"And if you do anything other than canon couples, you need to do a good job of it and make sure it's a believable relationship. No one will be able to relate with it, and they'll quit reading otherwise," he continued. "Let's start by looking at those drafts," Zuko said. Summer quickly stuffed her drafts under the table.

"What are you talking about?" she countered. Zuko wiggled his fingers, motioning for her to bring them up.

"Give them here," he said. Summer reluctantly handed him her papers, and Zuko crinkled the looseleaf as he read. "Mmhmm…" he murmured. Summer tapped the table nervously as Zuko's eyes skimmed her story. Finally he let the papers fall back on the table, and Summer stacked them into a neat pile.

"Not bad," Zuko said. "But Meredith is still Sue-ish."

"Sue-ish?" Summer repeated, eyebrows going up.

"Yes, Sue-ish," he repeated. "No offense, but you need to change her character a bit." Summer frowned. She loved Meredith's character.

"But she's not like _me_ at all! Doesn't that count for something?" Summer protested. "She's prettier and more talented."

"That's kind of the problem." Zuko reached for the papers again. Summer snatched them up and held them protectively to her chest.

"How do I know you're not going to burn them or something with your firebending powers?" she protested. "No touchie!"

"Oh my gosh, you fangirls drive me crazy," Zuko said. "I'm going to give you some advice, Summer. Give Meredith a fatal flaw."

"A _what_ now?" Summer asked. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"A fatal flaw," he repeated more sternly. "Something that'll be her downfall."

"Meredith doesn't have a fatal flaw! She's too perfect and pretty." Summer paused. "Did I really just say that?" she asked. Zuko nodded. Summer smashed her head into the table, and Zuko grabbed a pencil and a napkin.

"Fatal flaws in characters…" he said as he wrote on the napkin. Summer looked up.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm making a list of common flaws in characters," Zuko said. "You choose which ones Meredith will have." Summer groaned.

"It's not just you, Summer. Thousands of fans make Mary Sues and Gary Stus every day. That's why the Avatar characters are going to fix it. We need to change the fandom: one author at a time."

* * *

"Order!" Katara yelled. "I call the second official meeting of the FCP to come to order! Quiet!" Katara screamed at the top of her lungs. "Gosh, will you please!"

Aang hopped up onto the podium and blew his bison whistle. A high-pitched hollow gust of air flew from whistle, blowing everyone's hair in their faces. All the Avatar characters quieted down.

"My cabbages!" the cabbage man yelled struggling to catch his flying produce. One of the cabbages flew and hit him in the face, knocking him over.

"Thank you, Aang," Katara said, ignoring the cabbage man. "Now, everybody please sit down."

"Your welcome, Katara," Aang said. "Now I'm off to fix some fics!" he smiled. "Hey, that sounds cool!" He flashed her a sweet smile, then off he went.

All the characters sat on the seat cushions lined up by the podium. Behind the podium was a banner that read: "Federation of Character Placement." In other words, this was where characters would be put into proper story context, thus improving fanfics in the long run.

The Gaang had gathered together the most beloved Avatar characters all in one place, so they could work together to save the Avatar fandom.

"You know," commented Suki. "FCP could also stand for Sokka's pet's name."

"Oh! I remember that one." Toph laughed. "Foofoo Cuddly Poops! That was a good one!" Katara's eye twitched.

"Excuse me," she said, gritting her teeth. "I am trying to start the meeting. If you want to take over, Toph, go ahead." Toph continued laughing anyway.

"You tell her!" Azula yelled. "You go, girl!"

"Nice try, Azula, but acting OOC will not help you here," Katara said frowning. "This is the Federation of Character _Placement_. Stop acting like Ty Lee. You know, in some inaccurate fics, people make you act just like her." Ty Lee wrinkled her nose, and Azula growled.

"It might be easier for me to contribute, filthy peasant, if you unchain me!" Azula rattled her hands that were chained together.

"We still don't trust you," Mai said bitterly. Jet rolled his eyes.

"Who would?" he commented, chewing on whatever that thing is he likes to chew on.

"At least I wasn't mistaken for dead!" Azula snapped in response to his snide comment. "In some fics, Zuko comes and let's me out of prison." She rolled her eyes. "As if. I like the ones where I break out!"

"Hey, those are some cute fics," Suki said, defending them. "More than half of those make up my favorites list! Stop insulting fics you don't like just because they make you seem innocent."

"Yeah, face-paint girl, you tell her," Ozai said.

"You're one to talk," Jun - whose name is actually spelled like that - said coolly, glancing at his entire body that was wrapped in chains. Ozai sneered at her.

"So…" Katara continued, flipping through her clipboard. "Has Sokka reported back from the spelling/grammar girl?" she asked, scanning the audience for her brother.

"Nope," Master Piandao said smartly. "Those spelling and grammar fans are always the _worst_."

"Has Aang returned from the vague author yet?" Katara glanced up at the crowd. No one answered.

"I guess not," the Guru said. "I am sure he will do a most excellent job of making her explain things in greater detail. Onion and banana juice, anyone?"

Everybody looked at the Guru strangely in the awkward silence. Random crickets chirped.

"How about Zuko? He's taking care of the Mary Sue girl," Katara continued.

"He's not back yet," Mai said in her monotone voice. "He can take as long as he wants with her. The OC Mary Sues are always the death of me."

"Everything's the death of you," Katara pointed out.

"Cabbages!" yelled the cabbage man randomly.

* * *

After a little while, Summer and Zuko came up with the Official Fatal Flaw List. It looked like this:

_-Overreacts to everything_  
_-Too clingy and needy_  
_-Wishy Washy_  
_-Holds grudges_  
_-Greedy and Envious_  
_-Prideful, Not Humble_  
_-Narrow-Minded_  
_-Careless, Doesn't Think Things Through_  
_-Lazy_  
_-Ignorant_

"And there are countless out there. Just think of all the flaws in human nature, and boom! You've got yourself a fatal flaw in a character," Zuko said.

"I didn't know there were so many options." Summer smiled at the list.

"Now pick two for Meredith," Zuko ordered. Summer quickly skimmed through the list again.

"Hmm…" She thought. "Let's say she holds grudges and overreacts to everything." She studied the list again. "Do you think that being annoying is a fatal flaw, Zuko?" Zuko looked at her strangely.

"Annoying? No."

"Well, what about the pot man in ZM? And the cabbage man in Avatar? You said every character needs a fatal flaw, so –"

"Yes. I'm adding 'annoying' to the list," Zuko said quickly, remembering the cabbage man. He grabbed his pencil, and Summer laughed.

"How else can I improve Meredith's character?"

"Mary Sues are easy to fix. Fatal flaws are the first step. Next, there should be some sort of flaw to her physical side. She can't be hot all the time."

"Speaking of hot, aren't you hot in that sweatshirt?" Summer asked. Zuko shook his head. "You're just weird," she muttered.

"Aren't we all? Who created the Mary Sue? That guy's extra weird. Oh, wait, that reminds me," Zuko continued. "She should have her weird moments also."

"Got it," Summer said. "Anything else?"

"She can't always win physical and verbal battles. Recognize that, and have her lose some every now and then. For more information, you can take the Official Mary Sue test at: _ www DOT katfeete DOT net/writing/marysue DOT html_."

"You memorized the link?" Summer asked.

"Hey, don't judge me," Zuko said. Summer rolled her eyes.

"Where did you take Ellie, anyway?" she asked. Zuko looked up from his list.

"Well…" he began. "Let's just say you're lucky _I'm_ the one helping you. Does Ellie have a lot of patience?"

"No," Summer said flatly. Zuko smirked.

"Then she's in for a crazy ride where Sokka is the master conductor."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I love reviews, and hopefully, you learned some tips about Mary Sues. Prepare to learn some spelling and grammar lessons in the next chapter from Sokka, the master conductor.**


	3. Spelling and Grammar - Sokka

**Please take the advice strung in the story and apply it to your Avatar fanfics. Let's save the fandom! For more info, see my profile or community.  
****Special thanks to: **_Kelly, __Daughter of the sea__, __Aaiero__, __, __Isis the Sphinx__, __RoseIsahredandVioletTsirblou__,_** and **_Olive Pizza _**for reviewing!**_  
_**And **_my dear English teacher_** for the grammar notes that I'm using in this chapter.**

* * *

**Master Conductor's Spelling and Grammar Tips**

Ellie stepped out of the bathroom stall and smiled, then she walked over to the sink.

"Flappapow!" she heard someone yell, hopping out behind her. In the mirror reflection, she saw a boy in a black sweatshirt and jeans. His hood was up.

"Aah!" Ellie screamed. "Get away from me, you creep!" she yelled, splashing water on his pants and threatening to punch his face. "Dude, this is the _girl's_ bathroom!"

"I saw the sign. How else was I supposed to get you alone?" he asked.

"Oh my gosh! That's sooo wrong!" Ellie panicked. "I'm calling the police!" She paused to look at the boy. "If you were hiding in this restroom for so long, you could've at least used it." The boy looked down at his water splashed pants. It looked wet in the wrong spot.

"Seriously?" he complained, grabbing a paper towel.

"Your voice sounds familiar…" Ellie said. Immediately, her eyes lit up. "You sound exactly like Jack Desena!" The boy looked up.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"He's the voice of Sokka in Avatar!" Ellie exclaimed.

"Crazy fan girl located," the boy said to himself. He smiled at Ellie. "Ellie, I _am_ Sokka." He tried to flip down his hood and look gangsta, like he and Zuko had discussed, but instead, it got stuck, only revealing half of his face.

"Sure," Ellie said sarcastically.

"I am alpha Water Tribe!" Sokka declared. "Hear me roar!" He slipped on some water on the floor and fell flat on his butt. "Ah!" he roared.

"Nice roar," Ellie commented, rolling her eyes as her mouth broke into a funny smirk.

Suddenly, an old lady with a walker came in the bathroom. As soon as she caught glimpse of Sokka in his splattered pants and half of his face showing, she panicked.

"Ah! It's a boy –" she began.

"Mahm, no." Sokka tried to quiet her down. "Sh…" he said, bringing his finger to his lips and crawling over to her. As soon as he touched her ankle, the woman fainted. Ellie stared in horror at the unconscious woman.

"Craaaap…" Sokka muttered, picking himself up and grabbing Ellie's hand. "Let's get out of here before I get arrested for assaulting an old lady."

Ellie could do nothing but delicately step over the old woman, who served as a convenient door stop, and follow Sokka out the back exit of the coffee shop.

* * *

"I believe it's you, not some crazy cosplayer," Ellie said, laughing. "Who else besides Sokka would leap out of a stall yelling 'Flappapow?'"

Ellie had showed Sokka where the park was, and they were sitting on a bench. Sokka still clutched the paper towel to his pants, but other than that, they were both fine.

"Why are you here? Did you just come here for the summer or something?" She paused as a sudden thought came to her. "Oh, crap, Sokka! Why did you let me leave Summer at the coffee shop?"

"_Me?_ It was _you_ who couldn't control you bladder!" he yelled defensively. A few people turned to stare, and Ellie smacked his arm.

"You don't announce that to everybody! What if I went around screaming what _else_ happened? Sokka attacked an old lady!" she announced. Sokka eyes widened, and he stuffed his paper towel in her mouth.

"Oh, yuck!" Ellie complained. "It's all wet with Ozai knows what."

"Can we _please_ get back to the matter at hand?"

"Summer's going to steal my smoothie," Ellie whined. Sokka sighed.

"Don't worry, Zuko's with her," he reassured her. Ellie's eyes widened.

"Now _Zuko's_ going to drink my smoothie!"

"Nah," Sokka said. "He hates smoothies."

"Wait," Ellie said quickly. "How come _Summer_ gets Zuko?"

"I'm not good enough for you?" Sokka complained. "Summer gets Zuko because #1, she's posting this on the Internet. #2, because she has created an OC Mary Sue, and that's what Zuko signed up to fix."

"OC Mary Sue? You mean FanFiction? Are you guys are helping us make better Fanfictions?" Ellie asked astounded.

"Yes," Sokka said. "As I was trying to tell you before, I am a member of the FCP!"

"Foofoo Cuddly Poops?" Ellie exclaimed.

"That's what I said too!" Sokka said, wearing a stupid grin. "But no." His face got serious again. "The Federation of Character Placement. Avatar characters are going to save the fandom one author at a time! We will rule the universe with our overall awesomeness!"

"Really?"

"No. But we will help every author on FanFiction if we have to!"

"Is the black hoodie and jeans just part of the FCP?" Ellie asked.

"Pretty much. It was Zuko's idea, if you can believe it. He said we should look efficient. I just thought it would look gangsta!" Sokka cleared his throat. "Anyway, I signed up for spelling/grammar. I'm going to help you improve spelling first. Now type a story."

"Where'd you get that laptop?"

"I stole it from the old lady. Now type."

_Five minutes later…_

_Once upon a time, there was a gurl named Katra. She is from the water tribe and waterbends._

"Who's Katra?" Sokka asked. Ellie pouted.

"Katara," she said innocently. Sokka took the laptop.

"I'm not reading any more until we fix this. First, I will refresh your memory with the correct spelling of Avatar character names." Sokka began typing.

* * *

Aang _not_ Ang

Sokka _not_ Socca

Katara _not_ Catara

Zuko _not_ Zhuko

Toph _not_ Toff

Mai _not_ May

Ozai _not_ Ozi

Iroh _not_ Iroe

Ty Lee _not_ Tie-Li

* * *

"Some of these sound stupid, but I've seen these spellings in fics," Sokka said. "The best way to make sure you are spelling character names correctly is by referring to the show's credits." Sokka scrolled down Ellie's story. "It's _girl_ not gurl." He corrected the typo and continued skimming through. "Some people argue over how water bending is supposed to be spelled. Some put a dash between, and some combine the whole word like you did. It doesn't really matter. Though most people like putting a space between to please the Microsoft Word paperclip."

_Katra had a brother named Socka. _

"I do not like being compared to a sock." Sokka fixed both names. "Another way to make sure you spelled everything correctly is to do spellcheck. It also helps to read it aloud. That way, you can catch mistakes that Word didn't pick up."

_He attacked old women and screamed "Flapapow" to unexpecting girls._

"I don't even want to read the rest," Sokka declared. Ellie closed the laptop.

"Then don't. It was stupid anyway. What else do you want to teach me?"

"First of all, 'Flappapow' has two Ps," he said, opening the laptop again. "Next, I want to make another list for grammar, since I don't feel like saying everything out loud."

"Let's call it the FLAPPAPOW LIST!"

"If I call it the Flappapow List, will you follow it?" Ellie nodded. "It is now called the Flappapow List."

* * *

**_Sokka's Flappapow List: Grammar_**

_1. Commas vs. Semicolons: Commas are used for pauses in the sentence while semicolons are used to separate independent clauses._

Ex. Do not confuse people with bad grammar, and do not confuse commas and semicolons!  
Do not confuse people with bad grammar; do not confuse commas and semicolons!

-Also, be careful where you put commas. Commas are used to separate clauses, add a dependent clause to the beginning or end of the sentence, and to add in certain phrases.

_2. Write concise sentences. Don't say the same thing twice only in different ways. That is so annoying.  
Ex. circle around (circle), personal opinion (opinion), in spite of the fact (although), etc_

_3. Don't use very, really, quite, extremely, and severely too much or they'll lose their value. Use them sparingly to give power!_

_4. Clichés, enough said._

_5. Underline vs. Italicize vs. Bold: I'm using italics right now to tell you that Sokka is typing. In fanfics, don't use underlining that much. Only use it to say the names of books, and even then you can use quotation marks. Don't bold anything unless it's the author's note._

_6. Dialogue: This is has a very common problem. Do not capitalize the word following the dialogue unless it is a name. Always use commas when the word following is "he" or "she."  
-Example: "Flappapow is the coolest word ever," He said. _WRONG!_  
"Flappapow is the coolest word ever," he said. _RIGHT!

_Also, don't forget to use the ENTER key every time someone new speaks.  
-Example: "Don't say flappapow again," Ellie demanded. "I will if I want to," replied Sokka. _WRONG!

_"Don't say flappapow again," Ellie demanded._  
_"I will if I want to," replied Sokka. _RIGHT!

* * *

"The FLAPPAPOW LIST knows all!" Ellie exclaimed as she helped Sokka finish it up. Sokka nodded with agreement.

"This will surely give me some brownie points with the FCP," he said.

"I have another question about the FCP," Ellie said. "Are only the good guys members of the FCP, Sokka?"

"Well… not really… some have, um, creative teaching methods that they want to share."

* * *

_**Stay tuned to the next chapter: **_Interpret Reviews with the Crazy Convict

**Here are some ideas for future chapters. Review telling me which you want first:**  
_-Uncle Iroh Guidelines on Trimming Down_  
_-The Adventures of the Avatar and Vague Girl  
-Write Better Zutara Fics: with your host… Katara  
-How to Start and End a Story with Zuko… again!_


	4. Interpreting Reviews - Azula

**Do you crave Avatar fics that are actually good? **_Summer's Day_** is all about the Avatar characters saving the fandom. Become part of the adventure and improve your own fics! Check my profile/community for more info. Reviews appreciated. Thanks for reading this far.  
The FCP has approved this message.**

* * *

**Interpreting Reviews with the Crazy Convict**

Right now, the following events are taking place...

_"PERCY JACKSON! OH MY GOD! AM I A DEMIGOD?"_

and...

_"Flappapow!"_

You've already heard these stories, so let's join another author at work. Linda Cleats is a lovable fourteen-year old with a FanFiction account, but for the life of her, doesn't understand reviews, let alone how to give good ones. Little did Linda know, Azula was wearing a black hoodie and jeans in the corner of her bedroom. Azula was ready to fix this problem.

She stepped out of the darkness.

"Linda," Azula sneered behind Linda's head.

Linda screamed at the top of her lungs. She swung her swivel chair around to see a sinister-looking teen with glowing gold eyes and black hair pulled into a neat bun.

"Azula!" Linda recognized her right away. "What did I do? I'm sorry I called you a meanie! You're very nice and beautiful! We should hang out!" Azula raised an eyebrow.

"What did you just say, clueless author?" she asked. "I am not here to destroy you. Why does everyone think that?" Linda stopped screaming.

"Because in the show…" she began honestly.

"Curse Mike and Bryan. But it's true, I suppose. _Now_ I just want to destroy the Avatar fandom," she said, examining an immaculate nail. "That is why I'm part of the FCP, peasant. The only thing I object to is that there is no destroying. There is only improving, so I'll _try_ not to lose my patience with you."

"Well, while you're not losing your patience, Azula, that black hoodie doesn't look good on you," Linda said honestly. Azula's face turned beet red.

"What do you mean?" she yelled. "It was my idiot brother Zuzu's idea! How am I supposed to teach you and not lose my patience when I'm wearing this?"

"That's what I was wondering," Linda said, cowering. "You still seem shaken up from that episode where you lost the Agni Kai to Zuko and Katara." Azula growled and resisted the urge to flambé the girl on the spot.

"Do you want me to teach you things or not?" she snapped instead.

"Depends," Linda said, gradually becoming more comfortable with the conversation. "What do you want to teach me?"

"Why the chicken crossed the road." Azula gritted her teeth.

"Really?"

"Of course not! I just said I was part of the FCP, didn't I? That stands for –"

"Foofoo Cuddly Poops?" Linda asked. Suddenly, her wall mysteriously gained a large burnt hole in the middle. Wonder how that got there.

"THE FEDERATION OF CHARACTER PLACEMENT!" Azula yelled. "Now, do you want me to teach you how to understand reviews?"

"Yes, please!" Linda squealed excitedly. "Will you teach me how to give good ones, too?" she asked.

"If you let me," Azula groaned. "And if I don't kill you first," she muttered under her breath. Linda zipped her lips shut with an imaginary zipper. "Now give me your laptop," Azula ordered. Linda willingly handed over the laptop. Azula opened Microsoft Word and began to type.

_1. Cool story, continue._

"What do you do when you see a review like this?" she asked Linda.

"Continue your cool story?"

"Wrong," Azula said. "The person obviously liked your story, but didn't feel like telling you there were mistakes. Skim your story again and wait for more reviews, because this person obviously didn't care enough if they could only write a sentence." Azula began typing again.

_2. There were some spelling and grammar errors, but other than that, it was good. Keep writing._

"Keep writing?" Linda asked.

"You missed the whole point of the review," Azula snapped. "When you get something like this, fix your grammar/spelling on Document Manager, and pray you don't receive a visit from the master conductor."

_3. Your story isn't original. Try again._

"Delete your story?" Linda suggested.

"Wrong again." Azula rolled her eyes. "You make a sudden plot twist that will blow people away with its originality. For instance… give Zuko a mustache."

"Ew! Why would I give Zuko a mustache?"

"Because it would be hilarious. Plus, it would thoroughly humiliate him."

"Is that really what this review means?" Linda asked, growing suspicious. "So, if I get a review like this, I'm supposed to give Zuko a mustache?"

"I wish," Azula said, under her breath, but she sighed and continued, "Just make your story original, that's all. Here's a list of story ideas that were original when they first started but aren't anymore."

* * *

_-Having a daughter of Aang and Katara_  
_-Modern Avatar story, especially in a school setting  
__-Book 4: Air, there are too many  
__-Having a girl who is the next avatar  
__-Sappy post-war fics_

* * *

"If you have one of these already, then it's okay. It was probably original when you did it. Just don't start a new one thinking that everyone will love it and that yours is better than the others. No one will love it or even read it since they've read it several times before."

_4. My eyes burn, you've killed the dictionary, and made the English language cry. Frankly, your story sucks. This **fic! should be erased from the history of the Avatar fandom. You brain-dead fangirl, just delete this because no one else will read it._

"What should I do if I get a review like that?" Linda asked, frowning at the rudeness.

"Firstly, that person was probably me," Azula said. "If not, just ignore it unless you get more from several people. Then your story probably does indeed 'suck,' and you should delete it and stop cluttering the fandom."

"Flamers aren't nice," Linda mused.

"But they have points," Azula said. "Don't take it personally, and do everything you can to improve your story. If you get more flames, just delete it and consider it a noble act of saving the fandom."

"You sounded really nice for a moment," Linda said, smiling.

"Yeah, well that moment's over," Azula snipped, then continued typing.

_5. Everyone is IC, your story's creative, no Mary Sues, and you have impeccable spelling and grammar. I can't gush any further about how wonderful this is. Congratulations, this has been added to my community for its originality.._

_Keep writing and have a nice day,  
__~Summer_

"It means –" Linda began.

"I'm explaining so you don't mess it up," Azula said. "This means your story's great. It was so awesome that Summer added it to her community so others could appreciate it. Take it as a huge compliment. You have mad writing skills."

"Mad writing skills, Azula?"

"Don't forget it," Azula retorted, trying to come up with an insult that failed miserably. "If you ever get a review that you don't understand, PM Summer. Surprisingly, some people actually have. Though I don't know why they'd be asking advice from her."

"She's been interpreting critiques even before her life of FanFiction," Linda said, defending her friend. "And what does IC mean?"

"It means they're 'in character.' In other words, the character would actually do all the things you said they did in your story. Here's a list of other FanFiction terms."

* * *

_- OOC – Out of character. Your take on the character is not IC. Read the books or watch the show/movie again and see what they'd do.  
- IC - In character. Your characters are acting as if they came straight out of the show.  
__- OC – Original Character. This is a character that you have made up for your fic.  
__- Mary Sue/just a Sue – Hopefully you realized what this was in Chapter Two. Otherwise, go find the definition on Wikipedia.  
__- OTP – One true pairing. This is the pairing you would defend forever  
- CC - Constructive Criticism. For more information, see the SD: Filler or Chapter Eleven.  
__- **fic! – Your story sucks. Let's just leave it at that.  
__- Brain-dead fangirl – You are obviously a fangirl. This isn't always bad, but when someone calls you a _brain-dead fangirl_, it means you're TOO obvious. You need to improve the quality of your story badly._

* * *

"There are plenty others out there," Azula said. "If you want, you can just Google more and outsmart everyone with your vast knowledge of FanFiction terms. "

"Let's make a list of review types!" Linda squealed. Azula rolled her eyes and bit her tongue to keep from yelling at the girl again.

* * *

_Daughter of Fire's Types of Reviews_

**The short review**_– These are annoying. They're empty and don't tell you anything. Most aren't longer than two or three words. Number one in my previous list is an example of the short review._

**The sweet/short review**_ – These I can put up with. They are great confidence boosters and usually two to three short sentences.  
Ex. I love this! Continue please!_

**The thought-through compliment**_ – These are the greatest. These will show that this reader actually read your chapter and enjoyed it, leaving a nice thought-through compliment._

Ex. Nice use of 'Flappapow!' Sokka would totally say that, wouldn't he? Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot and am eagerly awaiting the next chapter!

**The flame**_ – These are the last possible resort to ending an awful story. I don't suggest using these often, since there _is_ a real person on the other end and that person has feelings too. You also make a bad reputation among writers. Number four is an example.  
_Phrases that attract flamers: "I suck at sums," "No flames," "Bestest story evr!" "Better inside."

**The "Summer" review** – This will indeed give you a full review of you story. She'll tell you what she liked and didn't like in your story and if it qualifies for her community. You can request a "Summer" review by PMing her.

* * *

Azula looked at the clock in the bottom corner of her laptop. "My job's is done. See you around if you dare to say hi,"

"Wait!" Linda exclaimed. "You need to teach me how to do good reviews!"

"Did I say that?" Azula sighed. Linda nodded. "Curse Sun Daughter," Azula muttered. "Fine, _one_ more list."

* * *

_Good Components to a Really Good Review (you don't always have to have them all)_

_Always give a _**compliment**_… unless you're a flamer and/or the story sucks really really bad and should be deleted._

**Constructive criticism**_ is always essential because that's what reviews are for! Always give CC unless the story doesn't need any, which is rare._

_A _**reference**_ to the story: be it to fix an error or to point out something you like. This shows the author you actually read it._

_Other things you could mention:  
- if characters are IC or OOC  
- Mary Sues  
-spelling/grammar  
-basically everything _Summer's Day is trying to fix.

* * *

"There. Now you have a billion lists," Azula said coolly.

"Thank you so much, Azula!" Linda squealed.

"You're welcome."

"Really?"

"No. That would be going against everything I just taught you. I'm staying IC and being mean. Go kill the fandom, fangirl, and don't follow your dreams." With that, Azula flipped out of Linda's bedroom window. Linda smirked. She intended to do the exact opposite.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Review with questions, suggestions, etc. You can also PM.**

**More chapter ideas! PM which you want me to do first:  
**-Uncle Iroh Guide to Trim Down  
-Adventures of the Avatar and Vague Girl  
-Late Night Show: Write Better Zutara Fics  
-How to Start/End a Story by Zuko  
-Stay IC with Mai, who's exciting apparently


	5. Trimming Down - Iroh

**Acknowledgments:** My reviewers, fabulous CCers, community's extraordinary authors, and my favorite English teacher who's letting me use her notes on writing concise sentences.

**Iroh's going to take it from here. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

**Uncle Iroh's Guide to Trimming Down**

Linda hummed to herself as she logged onto her FanFiction account. She couldn't wait to use Azula's tips on giving good reviews. And, finally, she could also understand all the reviews her stories had received.

A light knock sounded at her door. Linda sighed. Hadn't Azula had enough of crazy fangirls for one day?

"Come in," she said. The door opened gently and an older man with a grey beard and bald head came in. He was slightly shorter than the average fourteen-year old and looked really in shape for a man of his age. Linda recognized him right away.

"Iroh!" she squealed. "Yeah, I get a cool teacher!" she exclaimed, leaping from her laptop in excitement and giving Iroh a big hug.

"Uh, thank you, young author. Now, let me explain the reason I am here," Iroh said smiling kindly. Linda sat on her bedroom floor in lotus position, and Iroh joined her there. "But first, I'm going to stay IC and have some tea."

_Ten brewing minutes later…_

"I am a member of the FCP. Perhaps my niece already explained the reasons behind our actions. You are a rare author indeed, receiving two lessons in the same day." Iroh said, taking a sip out of his tea cup. Linda beamed.

"Yeah, I'm rare!" she said, smiling sweetly.

"I'm going to teach you how to trim down," Iroh added. Linda's delightful grin turned to a distasteful gawk. She stared in disbelief at the wise teacher, then down at her jean waistline.

"Are you suggesting I'm _fat_?" she exclaimed. "I thought you were fixing fanfics!" Iroh immediately recognized his odd wording.

"No, young lady, I am going to teach you how to trim _your stories_ down and write more concise sentences. Not trim your waist," he added quickly. Linda sighed with relief.

"Good, because I am perfectly average in terms of weight," she commented knowingly.

"Yes, you are," Iroh assured her. "That's not what I meant at all. I am going to teach you how to not clog your stories up with useless information."

Linda nodded excitedly.

"Are we going to make lists?" she asked, eager to get started. "Are you going to draw pictures in the sand like you did with Zuko? Are you going to teach me how to redirect lightning but for stories? Yeah, that relates somehow..."

"We'll start with an analogy," Iroh told her. "Your story is like filling this cup of tea." He held up his porcelain cup delicately, then set it back on the floor. "If you fill it with too little," he filled the tea cup about halfway. "You're not going to have enough to really get a good taste. If you don't give your fic enough detail and explanation, no one will understand what is happening. Got me so far?"

Linda nodded. Iroh poured more tea into the cup until it was full, but not overflowing.

"If you fill it just right, or make your fic just the right length, then everyone will get a perfect taste and will want more." Iroh took a sip out of the tea. "Now, if you fill it with too much useless information..." He poured tea into the cup until it started spilling over the sides. Linda jumped back. "Then people aren't going to fully taste it either, because they'll be so focused on finishing it."

Iroh set the tea pot down and drank up the tea. Linda grabbed a paper towel, which she always kept in her room for no good reason, and wiped up the mess.

"People are going to have too much to swallow, and they won't understand anything," Iroh continued. "Clogging your stories with sentences you _think_ makes you sound smart _really_ makes you sound stupid. That, my dear, is what I like to call great irony."

"Clogging fics up with what?"

"Well, redundant phrases for starters. Sokka was supposed to vaguely touch upon this topic. Give me something to make a list on," Iroh said. Linda handed him her computer and he opened Microsoft Word.

* * *

_Twelve Noon … Just noon is fine_

_True fact … If it's not true, then it's not a fact. Just use 'fact.'_

_Circle around … What are you going to circle? A square?_

_Exactly the same … Use 'identical' or just 'same.'_

_In spite of the fact … It doesn't sound smart, it clutters. Use 'although' in its place._

_Personal opinion … Just opinion._

* * *

"There are a few more, but these are most common. It annoys the FCP when fics are cluttered with useless junk like this. Also, be careful of abbreviation repetition. Sometimes people say 'ATM machine.' The 'M' in 'ATM' stands for machine."

"I got ya." Linda smirked adding to the list.

"What else am I missing? I remember. Even if your fic is long, and you've done everything you could to trim it down, don't worry. Better long than short I always say. The shortest your fic should be is eight-hundred words, _at least_. Most argue that chapters should be a thousand words long, but the FCP has agreed that eight-hundred is the drop-dead length."

"Really?"

"You wouldn't believe the fics I've seen. Some look just like this," Iroh took the laptop.

_Once upon a time, Katara and Aang were sitting on the beach. Then Zuko came along and took Katara. Zutara forever!_

_The end._

"Well that fic sucks," Linda said bluntly. "And you've really seen fics like this before?"

"Tell me about it. It was only twenty-three words, and some people misspell every other word too. Even you don't write that badly."

"Thanks. Wait a minute –"

"Another way to trim your chapter down is to limit your author note," Iroh continued quickly. "Those long disclaimers are fun to read but clutter the overall story. Be brief, but funny. About five-ten lines more or less is plenty. Use your best judgment, that's all."

"What if you cut too much?" Linda asked doubtfully. "How long is long enough if you're typing it up on Microsoft Word?"

"If you're using the font _Times New Roman_, then no less than three pages single spaced." Iroh answered. "Really, as I said before, use your best judgment. Read it out loud. That helps a lot."

"Aren't there a couple phrases used too often? Make a list, please! I love lists." Iroh glanced at all the lists his niece had made. He hoped this girl would get bored of the lists before he had to write that many.

"Fine, I have a few phrases that you should not use, no matter how desperate you are for more words. _Don't clutter your story._"

* * *

**_Phrases you can omit and never use in the first place no matter how desperate you are for words. Do you understand me? Never use these phrases and clutter your fic like I'm doing right now! Don't you see how annoying this is? I could go on and on, paragraph after paragraph, telling you not to use these phrases, but I won't. I'll have mercy on my beloved readers and stop… right… about… _now_._**

_-As a matter of fact…_

_-Because of the fact that_

_-As far as I'm concerned/In my personal opinion_

_-It seems that_

_-At the present time_

_-And sometimes, "There is/are" and "It is"_

* * *

"Yeah!" Linda exclaimed. Iroh began to pack up his tea.

"Trimming down isn't a long lesson, Linda, so I'm going to get going. Please use this advice in your fics. Let's save the fandom!"

"Yeah!" Linda screamed again. Iroh winced at how high-pitched her scream was; she was definitely an avatarded fangirl. "What else can I do other than just applying these tips, Iroh? I want to help more!" Iroh looked at her thoughtfully, trying to think of what Katara had said earlier at the FCP meeting.

"Give well-rounded reviews, like my niece taught you previously. Get Summer to review your story, so you know what to work on. Get other people to read _this_ fic. Do anything to get FanFiction authors to write better stories! What type of fanfics do you like to write, Linda?" There was no hesitation in her answer.

"Zutara!" she exclaimed. Iroh smiled.

"I knew you would say that. Tonight on the TALNS, there is a special guest star."

"The TALNS?" Linda asked, trying to come up with a clever avatar-ish pneumonic devise. "Toph always loves no-soled shoes? Ha, I knew it!"

"The Totally Awesome Late Night Show," Iroh explained. "Always ten times more awesome than just 'The Late Night Show.' Tonight Katara is guest-starring, and she is teaching us some valuable lessons in Zutara fics. There are seats reserved with every FanFiction author's name on it."

"Ooh! That means me, right? I'll be there, Iroh."

"See you tonight," Iroh said as he casually stepped out of the huge hole in Linda's wall. Linda smile broadened. She couldn't wait to watch TALNS tonight. Live.

* * *

**Neither can you! As Iroh said, there's a seat with every FanFiction author's name on it! Reserve your seat immediately! Sorry for the short chapter, I didn't have much, and I was getting lots of PMs asking for it immediately. **_Olive Pizza_**, Bumi will be in the TALNS chapter. ****Stay tuned.**

**While you wait for the next chapter, review with **_**your**_** tips, CC, what you want to see on TALNS, or compliments (always appreciated). PM me whenever, and thanks for reading!**


	6. Writing Romance - Katara

**Welcome to the totally awesome late night show! I've tried my best to combine everyone's requests into this chapter. If I missed you or you have your own requests, review and/or PM me.**

**All authors mentioned have been asked and have agreed to let me use their usernames.**

**Special thanks to: -**_Aaiero,_ _Cle de Demoiselle, Singer in the Silence, Isis the Sphinx, Daughter of the sea, PurpleStripedShirt, Olive Pizza,_ _KK Kataang, Kendelle, Bookmal14, mbriscoe99, Lita The Storyteller, and Lahlie_ **for reviewing my last chapter**.  
_**-**__Kendelle_**, for fixing some important details and factors of the chapter.  
-**_Daughter of the sea_** and **_PurpleStripedShirt_** for constant support, aid, and feedback.**  
_**-**__Aaiero__**, **_**for introducing a new fangirl! Mikyla, welcome to the family!**

* * *

**TALNS – With Guest Star Katara**

"We're on in five minutes," Summer spoke into her headset's mic.

After her lesson on the Mary Sue from Zuko, Summer and the rest of the FCP had gotten together to do their first premiere of the new TV show, TALNS, also known as The Totally Awesome Late Night Show. Summer handed her organized clipboard to an assistant and ripped off her headset. She handed the headset to Sokka and walked briskly onto the set where her special guest star was waiting.

"You really shouldn't have given that to Sokka, Summer," Katara mused, sitting in the big cushiony chair across from Summer's. Summer quickly turned to look back at Sokka. He had put the expensive headset on and was speaking into the mic.

"Yes, I would some cactus juice," he was saying a-matter-of-factly. "Of course this is Summer, who else would it be? So, she's having a slight cold today that is making her voice sound deeper, so what?" He paused as the other person spoke. "No, my voice does not crack!" He paused again. "Oh yeah? Well, FLAPPAPOW TO YOU, DUDE! Yeah, you don't have anything to say now, huh?" He paused once again, and then gasped. "Yeah? Well your face is a watermelon butt!" Exasperated, Sokka handed the headset to the stage director. "You need to hire some nicer employees," he informed him. The director just patted Sokka on the back encouragingly, and then returned back to his work.

Summer sighed loudly and turned to look at Katara who was wearing a nice blue dress with her beautiful and thick, dark brown hair pulled back into her signature braid and hair loopies. Summer was wearing a blouse and dress pants with her layered hair hanging loose around her chest.

"At least he's staying IC." She shrugged. "We're on in two!" she yelled to the camera man on the other side of the studio. The live audience bustled noisily as everyone sat down. In the first three rows sat Ellie, Linda, a few other Avatar fans, and a few members of the FCP.

"Do you have this all planned out?" Katara asked Summer. Summer twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. She smirked at the string of concern in Katara's voice. Katara was such a planner.

"Most of it," she admitted, trying her best to smile reassuringly. She did not want her guest star getting too worried. "Actually I'm winging most of it… okay, all of it, but whatever. I have a PowerPoint show put together, so we don't have to do a lot of talking, just explaining." Ellie and Linda waved to her from the audience. She waved back.

"We're on in thirty, Summer!" the light man yelled at her. Summer gave him a big thumbs up and nodded at Katara. Katara smiled back and stared into the camera lens.

"Three... two... one... And action!" yelled the director.

"Hello, my name is Summer, the host of TALNS, the totally awesome late night show! Welcome, and thank you for being here tonight," Summer told the camera and the audience. "Tonight, we have a very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you, Miss Katara of the Southern Water Tribe!" The audience clapped loudly as the camera zoomed out, showing Katara. Ellie and Linda screamed and whistled. Sokka could be heard backstage yelling something about his baby sister being a star.

"Thank you so much for being here tonight, Katara," Summer said, shaking her hand.

"It's a pleasure to be here, Summer," Katara began. "However, we have some work to do." Katara stared straight at the camera. "I am a member of the FCP," she said. "For those of you who don't know, it stands for the Federation of Character Placement. I am here to help save the Avatar fandom."

The audience clapped again, and Summer joined in.

"Why don't you tell us what you are going to do?" Summer said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and placing her folded hands on top of her lap. Katara nodded, smiling confidently.

"Gladly. Earlier today, you met with a good friend of mine, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation." The audience hooted and screamed loudly in response, and Summer broke into a grin at the name of the beloved character and teacher.

"Yes, I did," she said, knowing fangirls would be jealous.

"This is not aimed as an insult to anyone, but Summer, which do you ship: Kataang or Zutara?" Katara asked.

"I am definitely more of a Kataanger, Katara. I love canon couples," Summer said honestly. The comment received a mix of boos and cheers from the audience. "But I do love reading Zutara fanfics. There are a lot of good authors out there."

"And there are some not good authors," Katara stated bluntly. "About seventy-five percent of the people who write Zutara fics need some advice, and that's why I am here."

"Before we get started, I am going to give you a good example of a good Zutara fic," Summer said. "I spent all afternoon reading, and I only got to Chapter Three. The name of the fic is _Stormbenders_. It's a great story and includes everything my community asks for in Avatar fics. If you want to write a good Zutara fic, read up to at least Chapter Three of _Stormbenders_. Get some advice along with an amazingly good read."

"Everyone is in character, and the storyline is extremely creative," Katara added. "Now, let's do a brief synopsis of how to make a genuinely good Zutara fic." The projector behind the two girls lit to life in an organized list.

"The FCP loves lists," Summer mentioned loud enough for the camera to hear.

"So do the authors we are helping," Iroh pointed out from the audience. Linda nodded vigorously in agreement.

"How can you not?" King Bumi snorted. "They're so clever, and remind me of rock candy!" Avatar Aang looked puzzled at his old friend, trying to understand the meaning behind his comment.

"How?" he asked, not coming up with anything.

"I don't know," Bumi shrugged as if it were obvious, and then chomped on a small piece of aqua-colored rock candy.

"You can find free rock candy under your seats everybody," Summer told the audience. "In honor of the King of Omashu's presence here tonight." Everybody reached under their seats and began chewing. The auditorium became filled with loud chomping.

"Ow! That hurt my tooth," Mikyla, a pretty fangirl, complained from the second row. Aang smiled at her kindly.

"You just have to bite the edges... then chew," Aang muffled in between hard slices of rock. Mikyla grinned at Aang and took his advice.

"Wow, you're right! I still don't see how this reminds Bumi of lists though…" she said, her voice trailing off.

"Neither do I!" Bumi beamed.

"Now, back to the list." Katara returned everyone's attention to the projector. She read the first step aloud to the audience.

_Step 1: Don't Gush First Thing_

Katara cleared her throat.

"This is annoying," she stated. "When a fic _starts out_ gushing about Zutara, then it's not interesting or fun at all. Ease into it. That will definitely have readers asking for more. Also, when you _do_ start gushing sparingly, it will make those powerful moments all that more special."

"This can be applied to any couple fics," Summer added. "Not just Zutara."

_Step 2: Make it Realistic_

"This one is really easy," Summer said. "Just make sure the situation you put Zuko and Katara in would be easy for readers to picture."

"For example," Katara said. "Don't put us in a UFO crash-landing onto one of the moons of Jupiter, eating cheese in the middle of the stratosphere, and being attacked by killer vampires, zombies… and Momo."

"And the foamy mouth guy!" Ellie added thoughtfully.

"It's really more of making their interactions realistic," Katara said more seriously.

"Also, don't do something ridiculous with their character like… having them make out on a Hawaiian beach, making Katara sound like some sort of Malibu Barbie, or… giving Zuko a mustache." Summer said, wrinkling her nose at the very thought.

"That's genius! Stop insulting my idea. You were the one who came up with it in the first place!" Azula snapped loudly from the third row. Summer's eyes flashed with panic.

"Moving on!" she yelled before the Fire Princess could say anything else.

_Step 3: Give it a Plotline/Situation_

A few members of the audience snickered.

"This one may sound stupid, but there are too many fics I have come across without a plot," Katara announced. "Like, some sort of interaction will be happening, but we don't know where or what its purpose is. This peeves every single one of the FCP members. Give it a situation, even in one-shots. It will make your story more appealing overall."

"If they are going to gush and make out, at least put them on Ember Island or somewhere interesting," Summer added.

"What about in drabbles?" asked Ellie from the audience. Summer and Katara glanced at each other thoughtfully as everyone waited patiently for their answer.

"In drabbles, a situation is not as necessary," Katara said slowly.

"If you want some good examples of Zutara drabbles, you can check out **Capn Raz**'s fic called _Little Candles_. The drabbles are a little short for my taste, but they are _really_ good," Summer said. "You can find **Capn Raz ( www DOT fanfiction DOT net/u/1089144/Capn_Raz)** under my favorites list as well. Next slide, please."

_Step 4: Don't Change Points of View Too Much_

"If you do, you'll annoy everybody," Katara stated simply. "If one minute you're explaining Zuko's thoughts, and the next you're explaining mine… it's really confusing. Not only that, it's distracting and makes the story hard to follow."

"Also, it's much more professional to just put the character's name in italics than to say something like _Zuko's POV_," Summer explained. "You can still use that, but it's not quite as proficient and direct. It might be better if you stuck to one point of view for a whole chapter." She paused. "Oh! You know what else is really fun? When you are doing a flashback, put the flashback in third person. When you return to the story, do a different point of view. It's so cool… as long as you make the change obvious."

"Say you were talking about Zuko and me being stuck in on a deserted island together," Katara started to explain, and Summer raised an eyebrow at her.

"I thought we were trying to think of _realistic_ situations," she said.

"Fine. We're stuck on a random Fire Nation Island. Say the chapter was in my point of view. Then I fainted and had a flashback. Put the flashback in italics, then when you go back to the story, say something like, 'Her eyes flashed as she passed out into my arms.' That will make it really obvious that the point of view changed to Zuko. You guys follow me?"

"Go Zutara!" Linda exclaimed. Summer nodded at the man controlling the projector.

_Step 5: No Clichés_

"A cliché Zutara plot looks like this," Katara stated as the projector changed. The picture shifted to a picture of Zuko and Katara holding hands in front of a sunset, and Katara blushed. A few of the fangirls screamed in triumph. Katara cleared her throat, and they quieted down. "So, Zuko and I are constantly arguing, but then for no good reason in particular, we grow to love each other. We break up with our canon pairings, then go on some crazy mission and either get married or live happily ever after in the end." A few people yawned loudly at the lack of creativity. "My point exactly."

_Step 6: Good Title and Summary_

"No more stories named _Fire and Ice_," Summer snapped short-temperedly. "Come up with something more original, people, I mean really. And I don't mean something like _Flames and Waves_ either. Do something that relates to your story, even if it is just a series drabbles. If your fic is already named one of these, it doesn't matter. But do _not_ start a new fic and name it that."

"_Opposites Attract_ is a little overused also," Katara commented.

"Oh, and about summaries," Summer continued. "Just saying 'ZUTARA!' as your summary is not going to attract people to read it… well, it would attract me TO FLAME IT! BURN, YO!" Random crickets chirped.

"But you don't flame!" Ellie pointed out. Summer frowned. "Or say 'yo'…" she muttered under her breath.

"Okay, it would attract me to go tell a flamer to flame it!" she said. "Yeah, I would do that!" Katara rolled her eyes.

"You may admit to not being the most humble person, but you could never be a gangster, Summer," she commented, and a few people chuckled.

"Word yo, dontya underestimate my gangsta powas!" Summer popped her collar, and Katara rolled her eyes again. Katara motioned to move to the next slide before Summer could get too carried away. When Summer was acting weird… it was time to change the subject.

_Step 7: Katara is not Ty Lee and Zuko is not Sokka_

"Pichaw!" someone yelled deafeningly, jumping in front of the camera from backstage. The sudden action startled all of the audience's members. Everyone began to scream loudly… especially the fangirls. They already had too much practice randomly screaming.

"Aah!" exclaimed Mikyla and Ellie from the front row.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Linda, drowning out half of the audience's screams single-handedly.

"Shut up!" Azula yelled at the fangirls angrily.

"Holy flappapow!" complained Sokka randomly, at no one in particular.

"Everybody, please calm down," Summer tried to soothe the audience, who all continued screaming at the top of their lungs. "Please, be quiet. It is only our second guest star. People, be quiet!" The audience would not stop screaming. However, after a blow of Aang's bison whistle, you could hear a drop of a pin.

"I really need to get one of those…" Katara said.

"Am I good, or am I good?" Zuko commented from the stage, adjusting his dress jacket collar. The audience began screaming again, this time in happiness. The screaming was even more ear-piercing the second time. Zuko shook hands with Summer and Katara professionally.

"I'm so glad you were able to show up!" Summer exclaimed happily. "Nice OOC entrance by the way," she added.

"Nice to see you again, Zuko," Katara smiled at him. He gave her a reassuring smirk in return.

"This happens to be my favorite tip. Let's continue with the commentary," he commented.

"This is just a way of saying: keep Zuko and Katara IC, or in character," Summer told the audience.

"I am _not_ some preppy cheerleader who always wins everything," Katara sniffed defiantly. "That's all Ty Lee."

"And I am not some popular beach bum like Chan," Zuko said. "Did you see the way I acted when facing off with one of those guys? I am also not the type of person who makes random, sarcastic comments all the time. That is Sokka's job."

"That is all the tips we have for Zutara fics," Summer announced. "Ooh, that rhymed," she squealed in delight. She cleared her throat and continued. "You had better follow them, or Zuko is going to make a 'Pichaw' appearance in your room tonight." The fangirls turned to look at Zuko, who raised his eyebrows up and down. They quickly began copying notes from the projector. "If you have any more suggestions, feel free to contact me anytime," Summer continued. "We will save the fandom together! One author at a time!"

"Eh, it's already dead," Azula said, rolling her eyes at the inspirational message.

"Now it's time for everyone's favorite segment on our show: Random Tips and Replies!" Summer announced. The audience cheered. "First, is a review with a tip from one of my regular reviewers, _Isis the Sphinx_." The projector changed to a colorful quote.

_ALWAYS BE RESPECTFUL, no matter how bad it is. Posting a story in the public is difficult to do, and not getting a compliment of some kind is demoralizing. Even if it's just, 'Good job for posting.' You could be giving a writer a much needed confidence boost._

"That's very true," Katara agreed. "It's a very useful tip! It is always nice to give some positive feedback whenever you give negative feedback. As Azula said in her chapter on reviews, there _is_ another person on the other side of your review, and that person does have feelings."

"Next is from _Olive Pizza_, also known as _Nile's Daughter_, who is one of my community's authors," Summer said. "She suggested I put Bumi in one of these."

"Well, here I am!" Bumi announced, waving at the camera as a shout-out. "I hope you enjoyed your rock candy! I know I did," he laughed. "Though, I've never tried an olive pizza before…" A few people gasped, and Ellie quickly called Papa John's to order one.

"Third, is a review from _Singer in the Silence,_" Summer announced.

_I'm interested for the TALNS and, will there be a point where Mai smashes her heads for making her an OOC, gushy, partner to Zuko? Seriously… Mai is so *puts on Mai face in mirror* (yeah, I use my vanity table for a desk) and people make her… not-Mai._

"Well, _Singer in the Silence_, after a few PMs, we did come to a conclusion together." Summer smiled. "Mai will be the FCP member hosting the chapter on keeping Avatar characters IC. _Singer in the Silence_ has also agreed to Beta that chapter for me! I can't wait!"

"Next is a review from _mbriscoe99,_" Zuko said. "Who is one of Summer's potential community authors. He says…"

_This is actually going to be extremely useful in my writing adventures, thanks. But do me a favor and add info about apostrophes to sokka's chapter, PLEASE!_

"Well, I can't add it to Sokka's chapter, but I _will _add a brief segment here for you!" Summer exclaimed as the projector changed once again.

* * *

_Apostrophes at a Glance_

_1. Contractions – add where the letter(s) was removed  
Ex. Aren't, Can't_

_2. Possession – add before the s to show singular possession  
Ex. Bumi's rock candy; One lemur's cave hopper_

3. In plural possession, make the noun plural, then add the apostrophe  
_Ex. Two lemurs' cave hoppers_

_If two people are possessing the same item, use it on the second name  
Ex. Appa and Momo's cave hopper_

4. It is_ or _it has_.  
_Incorrect:_ Its sunny outside!  
_Correct: _It's sunny outside!_"

* * *

"Well, I hope that helped!" Summer smiled. "Thanks again, to _all_ my reviewers. You are my motivation to write more chapters! Next, on the final segment of our show, we have a little raffle. The person's name that is drawn from this bucket will win a lesson from our very own Avatar Aang!" Katara shook the bucket, and then pulled out a strip of paper as the members of the audience held their breaths.

"Mikyla?" She looked around. Mikyla jumped into the air and hooted with joy. Everyone clapped. "Congratulations," Katara said, smiling. "You have won a free lesson from Aang... not that we charged anything before, but you still get to feel like a winner. He will teach you whatever prospect of story writing you feel you need the most help with."

"Well, my detail could use a little work…" Mikyla admitted.

"Detail it is!" Aang smiled. "And I promise I will not scare you to death with some sort of random word… like Flappapow or Pichaw…"

"Flappapow beats Pichaw!" Sokka announced from backstage. Zuko frowned.

"No, it does not," he said, shaking his head angrily. "Flappapow is long and annoying, while Pichaw is straight to the point."

"You want to go, Zuko?" Sokka stomped onto the stage. Zuko took a fighting stance.

"Bring it, boomerang boy," he spat. Sokka gasped at the nickname. The fangirls giggled, enjoying having front row seats to the scene playing out on live television. Those other avatarded fans were going to be _so_ jealous.

"Flipping Kickapow!" Sokka yelled.

"Thmistrator!"

"Preflelled Mixtricker!"

"Rejacksionrays!"

"Uh, Crackatoa!" Sokka yelled. Katara gasped.

"Krakatoa was a horrible volcanic explosion that killed hundreds of people, Sokka! How dare you disrespect the event, and use it in a random word competition!"

"Must you ruin everything?" Sokka complained.

"Haha, I win." Zuko smiled triumphantly.

"Well, that wraps up our show tonight," Summer announced quickly, before things could get too out of hand. "I hope you will tune in next time for our next chapter. Who knows how long it will take for me to post that one…" she muttered. "Thank you for watching, everybody! Keep writing, and have a nice night!" she smiled brightly, concluding the show.

As the curtains closed, Summer and Katara smiled confidently at each other. This message was going to reach thousands of Avatar fans and, hopefully, really improve the fandom. That was a pretty big accomplishment.

_And cut._

* * *

**So, which do you like better: Pichaw or Flappapow? I would love to hear all about anything you thought of this chapter in a review. CC is always more than welcome. ;) I am also on Formspring if you have any questions; the link is on my profile.**

**My dedications:  
**_RoseIsahredandVioletTsirblou _**: Rose is very supportive and empathetic and always writes good-quality stories. My favorites are "Memoirs of a Monster" and "The Dumbest Thing Ever." www DOT fanfiction DOT net/u/1943245/RoseIsahredANDVioletTsirblou **

_Hollywoodfreak_**: Has written many suspenseful stories that have you on the edge of your seat. He doesn't write for Avatar, but you will enjoy his stories anyway! www DOT fanfiction DOT net/u/2082796/hollywoodfreak**


	7. SD FILLER: Various Lists

**There's ****a surprise at the end of the chapter, though you may not like it… just read to the end, my darlings.**

**Special thanks to: **_Isis the Sphinx, Kendelle Nicole, Olive Pizza, Rohan, Gallyrat, Bokmal14, xxoholly14, Singer in the Silence, PurpleStripedShirt, YAXON, annabeth210, inktica, hurricane1714, BlueStripedPolo, bookworm1429, psychoticbookgirl, Klbooks, BlueFireGirl1237, _**and**_ OMG it's Rice. _**My reviewers. ****I take each word to heart.  
**_Daughter of the sea_, **who is Ellie, who helped with the chapter and is wonderful.  
**_PurpleStripedShirt,_** who is Linda (no account), who's such a good sport and is equally wonderful.  
**

* * *

**SD: Filler**

"Is this thing on? Hello? Anyone there?" Summer stuck her face into the web cam and tapped the lens with her finger, as if wishing it would move.

"Summer, the green light means that it's on."

"Oh, so _that's_ what it means." Summer flashed an overly cheesy smile at Ellie, who raised a skeptical eyebrow at her.

"Yeaaah." Ellie drawled out the word. Suddenly, the door swung open, and Linda came running in. She dashed over to the large desk where Ellie and Summer were sitting and sat down in a third seat. Her face was now visible in the web cam. She was carrying a huge purse that seemed to have something inside, making a huge lump in the fabric. It jostled violently as she ran.

"Sorry I'm late!" she panted, placing a hand on the table to brace herself.

"No problem," Summer replied. "We were just about to get started. I have a script and everything, but we'll probably just end up winging it like we did at the TALNS."

"That show was… interesting," Ellie told her in a tone that couldn't be distinguished as sarcasm or not. "Has Aang taught Mikyla her lesson yet?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Summer murmured, now flipping through her script and lowering a pair of dark-rimmed glasses onto her nose. She skimmed through the page to see if there was anything on Mikyla in her notes. "And I want to talk about that a little bit in our web cast. Oh, and I also have a special surprise at the end! Don't tell anyone," she added, placing her glasses back on top of her head.

"Well, the whole world is hearing what you're saying right now," Ellie informed her, motioning at the web cam that was sitting on the desk. "Everyone and their brother are listening to our conversation."

"Well, what if they don't _have_ a brother, huh?" Linda questioned. Ellie rolled her eyes.

"It's just an expression, Linda," Ellie told her bitterly.

"Your _face_ is an expression," Linda countered.

"Guys! Cut it out!" Summer yelled. "Remember? We're trying to do a webcast here? You said so yourself, everyone is listening to you argue." Ellie and Linda both crossed their arms and looked spitefully at each other, obviously wanting to continue their argument.

"Well, then, can we start?" Ellie asked Summer impatiently. She nodded and began her web cast.

"Hello, people who own computers and like annoying me - I mean, uh,_ asking_ me to update the next chapter of _Summer's Day_!" Summer smiled a little too cheerfully. "This chapter is what I like to call an SD Filler."

"SD stands for _Summer's Day_!" Linda exclaimed as if she had just uncovered the mystery of the universe. Ellie rolled her eyes again.

"Yes." Summer nodded. "This filler is not going to contain a big lesson with an FCP member." She paused. "Wait! That's not true. We do have _one_ member with us! Linda?" she asked. Everyone turned to Linda expectantly.

Linda blinked.

"What?" she asked, obviously oblivious to the cue.

"The FCP member…" Summer prompted.

"Oh, yeah!" Linda opened the huge bag she was holding and grabbed something that was inside. "Hold still!" she yelled at it. "Ow!" She withdrew her hand from the bag and flailed her pointer finger. "He bit me!" The creature inside let out a screeching holler of protest as Linda tried to extract it from the bag again.

"Give it here," Ellie said, grabbing the purse and gently pulling out a flying lemur monkey.

"Momo!" Summer said, smiling at the audience and holding her hands out to introduce Momo. Momo was wearing a mini-disheveled black hoodie and had his back turned towards the web cam. He also seemed to have something he was holding in between his two tiny hands and was trying his hardest to nibble it.

Linda gasped. "My makeup! How did you even get that open?" She snatched a tube of mascara away from Momo, who had managed to open it and had black streaks covering the entirety of his face. "Bad Momo!" Linda cried. Summer rolled her eyes again.

"We have a lot to talk about, so can we all please try to stay focused?" she asked, her patience slowly withering as Momo tackled Linda to the floor.

"Just go on, Summer, will you?" Ellie asked, ignoring the whole fiasco altogether.

"To continue what I was saying before," Summer said, taking Ellie's advice. "This is just a filler. No huge lessons. Not an actual chapter."

"Why not?" a familiar obnoxious voice asked, and both Summer and Ellie peered at the computer. A small monitor of Sokka's face had popped up in the upper right hand corner of the screen. He was angrily glaring at both of them. His eyes were huge and expectant.

"Sokka?" Summer asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Her confusion soon turned to anger at the constant interruptions. "Get out of here! I'm trying to do a web cast!"

"And failing," Sokka retorted. "Now that _I'm_ here, can this count as an actual chapter already?" Summer grit her teeth.

"No!" she snapped. "It's just a filler, Sokka. Now get off my screen."

"No," he returned stubbornly. "I'm staying to make sure everybody stays focused. You won't even know I'm here." Ellie looked at him suspiciously as Summer moved the web cam so the audience could see Sokka's face too.

"Oh really…" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"FLAPPAPOW! FLAPPAPOW! YOU'RE OFF YOUR FOCUS! FLAPPAPOW!" he bellowed from the screen, and Summer roughly forced her hand on top of the screen where his mouth was. Even though it wouldn't actually shut him up, the volume of his yells decreased significantly so she could continue.

"Well, viewers, I would like to apologize for not updating in months," Summer persisted, ignoring Sokka's hollers of complaint. "Writer's block for this story has been killing me, and I've been heavily involved in the _39 Clues _fandom. This has been almost last on my priorities list."

"But it shouldn't be," Ellie muttered.

"FLAPPAPOW!" Sokka screamed, and Summer tore her hand away from her monitor.

"Be quiet!" she snapped at Sokka. "Anyway, this filler –"

"Chapter!" Sokka interrupted.

" – is going to be a hodgepodge of small lessons my reviewers have given requested I teach. We'll start with dialogue, give a follow-up on reviews, and end with a mini lesson on creativity, since I'm having a chapter dedicated to it later on. I'm hoping Ty Lee will be able to teach that lesson."

"Ty – who?" cried Sokka.

"Yeah, we don't even know you're here, Sokka," Ellie rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Let's start with dialogue," Summer began, reading from her script. "I'm sure everyone's been getting annoyed with all the lists, so I've written a poem… even though I'm terrible at poetry. So, prepare yourself." She cleared her throat while Ellie plugged her ears and prepared herself for cheesiness.

_Dialogue is easy to do.  
As long as you read this poem all the way through.  
Apostrophes go at both ends of character's lines  
Those are where you let their personalities shine.  
Before the second apostrophe the second time,  
Use a comma, exclamation point, or question mark._

"Hey, that doesn't rhyme!" Sokka said in a sing-song voice.

"And _you're_ any better at poetry, Sokka?" Summer asked through grinded teeth and eyes that looked rather like Azula when she was angry. Sokka blushed, remembering his incident at the Haiku House in Ba Sing Se.

_Never use a period at the end,  
Unless the line's angry or more direct.  
_  
"Or if the following sentence doesn't have to do with the manner the character said the line," she added as a side note.  
_  
Capitalize the word at the beginning,  
Because if you don't, in dialogue, it's as bad as sinning._

"Sinning?" Ellie choked back a laugh.

"I told you I'm bad at poetry!" Summer cried. "Are you going to let me finish this or not?"

"I don't think my ears can take it. I like your lists better," Sokka told her, his voice cracking.

_Using 'he said' and 'she said' can be quite dull.  
Spice it up with something more fun.  
He snapped with rage.  
She sang in a daze.  
They all yelled as a whole.  
Sokka was banished to a hole._

"Hey!" Sokka shouted from the monitor.

"Oh, did I write that?" Summer asked innocently. "Well, that concludes my poem, but I have a few extra things to add. Since my failure at poetry is scarring to everyone…" She glanced over to see that Sokka, Ellie, Linda, and even Momo were all in fetal positions. "It talks about the actual use of dialogue, not just the grammatical aspect. If you're still having trouble with grammar, there are plenty of websites you can use."

"Is it over?" Linda asked from the floor.

"Anyway," Summer continued, gritting her teeth again, "here's a list of rules that I've compiled to guarantee your fanfic great dialogue."

* * *

1. **Make it realistic** – Read your dialogue aloud to see if people would actually say that.  
2. **Don't go overboard** – Don't give too much info at once; it's overbearing. If you're not writing an informative story or line, keep it simple.  
3. **Put in action** – It'll help break up the dialogue and keep the transitions smooth.  
4. **Make sure there's a point** – Don't have a random conversation for no good reason. Establish a point, introduce a new character, throw in some humor, and/or at last resort, add in character development.  
5.** Use proper grammar skills** – Remember that punctuation marks go INSIDE the quotes!  
6. **Use a new line for every new speaker** – Otherwise, it's confusing and gives headaches.

* * *

"Ah," Ellie sighed with obvious relief. "I never thought I'd love your lists so much." She turned to face the web cam head on. "And this is why Summer does lists. She can't think of anything creative enough to do besides imbed the lesson in the dialogue… and then you losers who skim through the chapters will miss it."

"That's not true! Just wait until later in the web cast," Summer told her.

"I will," said Ellie mysteriously, moving her eyebrows up and down.

"Onto our follow-up for reviews," Summer said, not sure whether to be angry at her or not. "We will teach you the difference between a flame and constructive criticism, otherwise known as CC." She looked around expectantly. Not finding what she was looking for, she turned back to face the web cam. "Momo is going to help us with this." She lifted Momo, who was on top of Linda, and put a headset on him. "There you go," she said, snapping it into place. Momo looked up at her, his huge dark eyes filled with curiosity.

"And _that_ is?" Sokka asked.

"A lemur translator," Summer explained, and Sokka hooted in laughter.

"Silence, meat eater," a handsome deep voice said. Sokka's laughter immediately halted. Everyone's heads slowly turned to face Momo, who was poking Sokka's picture from his position on the desk.

"Momo?" asked Sokka in disbelief, and Summer smiled proudly.

"Sokka, would you like to join us in a game we call 'Good Cop, Bad Cop?'" she asked. "I was going to have Ellie be the Bad Cop, but since you're here, I think you'll fit the role finely."

"Haha!" Ellie laughed at him, then comprehended what Summer had just said. "Hey!"

"This is where we establish the difference between a flamer and a CCer," Summer told the web cam pleasantly with a grin. "Momo will be the CCer, and Sokka is the flamer." Sokka bellowed an evil laugh as Summer made his picture go full screen. "Momo, please start by telling us the definition of a flame."

"The review left by a flamer, CAVE HOPPERS, who is someone that enjoys reviewing a person's story harshly, CAVE HOPPERS, only pointing out faults, CAVE HOPPERS, often using heavy sarcasm, and just being A CAVE HOPPER… oh, I mean nasty."

"Um, thanks… Momo," Summer said politely. "Constructive criticism is a helpful review that points out the things that an author needs to do better. It often includes advice and sometimes personal experiences."

"So… how do we play this 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' game? Huh, Summer? You know, I have a lot of experience with being a detective. I even got to wear a peculiar-looking hat and monocle once," Sokka bragged from the monitor. His face was up close and personal with the web cam, and the girls leapt back in alarm.

"Back down, Sokka," Summer replied. "You're just as bad as –"

"FLAPPAPOW! OFF TOP – "

"Shut up, Sokka!" Ellie yelled.

"I need to explain the – "

"FLAPPA – "

"CAVE HOPPER!" Momo exclaimed happily, holding a dead one hovering over Linda's bag. Linda's face twisted in disgust, and she made a lunge for the cave hopper before it fell into her purse.

"How did you even get that?" she shrieked in fury as she chased Momo around the desk.

"This is a disaster," Summer moaned, almost hoping Zuko would make another OOC entrance and calm everything down. And like any human being in a situation like this, she looked for someone to blame. "Look what you did!" she cried, pointing an accusing finger at Sokka, who stared cross-eyed back at it. "Now I have a headache, and I forgot how to play!" she moaned.

"Just make another list," said Ellie, patting her on the back before Sokka could protest. Summer pulled out another sheet from her folder.

"I'm not trying to bash flamers through this," Summer told the web cam. "You really should listen to every review you get, even flames, but when you're trying to decide the difference between CC and a flame, use this to help."

* * *

**Not flame: **First of all, I'm trying not to flame, but please hear me out. **(usually when someone says this, they're nice people who are trying to help)  
Flame: **I'd like to start this off by saying I am not flaming you. I'm giving CC in the rudest and **iest way possible. **(No, don't be fooled. It's still a flame.)**

**Not flame: **You need to work on your grammar/spelling.  
**Flame: **Your grammar/spelling should be banished to a hole just like your **!fic **(if someone ever says **!fic in their review, it's a good sign they're flamer… in fact, if anything is censored, they're probably a flamer. Either that or a naturally angry person)**

**Not flame: **Try deleting this, rewriting it (find a Beta), and then posting it again.**  
Flame: **Try deleting this, leaving FanFiction forever, and bringing the English language back to life.

**Not flame: **Your characters are OOC, you need to fix them right away.**  
Flame: **Your OOCness is unsalvageable, so there's no need to try again. Please, for the sake of humanity and my sanity, _don't_.

**Not flame (even though it's a little frosty):** Overall, this could seriously use some work. Get a really patient Beta Reader and try again. Kay? Bye.  
**Flame:** Overall, this was a waste of two minutes of my life. Two minutes that I'll never get back thanks to you. Who hated the world enough to give you a keyboard and access to the Internet? Go die in a hole, no one will miss you. Have a nice day.

* * *

"That was actually surprisingly kind of helpful," Sokka said from the screen.

"Thank you," Summer sighed with relief. "Now onto our last segment. The mini-creativity lesson."

"CAVE HOPPERS," said Momo gleefully, triumphantly dangling _three_ cave hoppers over Linda's bag. Linda shrieked again and tried to tackle Momo, but he leaped away right after he dropped them in the bag. Ellie and Summer just ignored them.

"Flappapow, Momo," Sokka said half-heartedly. "Off topic, flappa… just go to the next lesson already."

"Is it a list?" Ellie asked hopefully.

"Kind of. It's a checklist of questions to see if your story is creative," Summer told her. "This is actually probably going to be fun for authors, I'm hoping." She crossed her fingers. "And copyright for this goes to me. So, don't pass it on to someone else without giving me credit. And don't post it publicly without my permission, please."

* * *

**Part 1: Characters****  
**O _Wide range of audience – _How many girls compare to how many boys in your story? In other words, will both genders enjoy it? Is it the cliché plot with two boys and one girl? Mix up the genders and numbers for maximum creativity.

O _Interesting characters_ – Are any of your characters _normal_? This will ensure readers ability to relate with them. If your reader cannot relate, it won't be as fun to read. Don't copy other author's ideas for super powers or lack thereof. Come up with your own.  
o Do they have normal feelings? Every character is human, they can't be immune to all pain.

O _Character's looks_ – Unless your characters are from another world and/or is a twin, they should not look exactly like another character in another book/movie/etc. It will blind the audience from that character's distinct personality and is quite dull in terms of creativity.

O _Personalities_ – Do your characters have strong personalities? Answer these questions about each of your character's personalities to guarantee strong and interesting characters.  
o – What does your character want most in the world, and do they or do they not achieve it in your story? How and why?  
o – Are they a loner or social? How do they feel about their friends and family?  
o – Most importantly, what was their past like? Write a back story for your character.

**Part 2: Plot  
**O _Cliché plot_ – Is your plot cliché? Is there another story that people will think of when they read it?

O _Plot twist_ – There should be some sort of plot twist. Is there? A point where maybe a character betrays another? A point where you find out a criminal is actually innocent? A twist where someone turns from being bitter to sweet? At the very least, a twist where things go from normal to supernatural?

**Part 3: Setting  
**O _If set in present day/familiar place _– Is it somewhere you're familiar with? If so, make it sound amazing! Describe describe describe! Is it so boring you can't make it amazing? Then make sure your character's think it's boring. And don't keep the story there the whole time.

O _If set in different time period/unfamiliar place/supernatural world _– This is your ultimate playground! Do you describe it enough? If in different time period/unfamiliar place, did you do enough research? If in supernatural world, how is it different from our world? Compare and contrast to give readers more insight.

O _Set Change_ – Do your character's stay in the same place the whole time? They shouldn't.

O _Description_ – Do you describe enough? Setting should have a lot of descriptions.

* * *

"Wow, you did it!" Ellie exclaimed.

"Did what?" asked Summer.

"You wrote a chapter!" Linda told her excitedly, holding a handful of cave hoppers by the antennas dangling in one hand.

"I'm not posting this though," Summer told them.

When Sokka began screaming 'Flappapow' at the top of his lungs, she went into further explanation.

"This was a disaster. Just reread it and see for yourself. The failed poem, the failure to get started, the constant off topicness." When Sokka began to protest that he did a fabulous job at keeping them on topic, she added, "Sokka's disruptive IC appearance."

Before Summer could moan some more, someone came into the room. However, no one but Momo and the harassed cave hoppers seemed to notice as he quietly closed the door behind him.

"Well, what about your special surprise?" wondered Ellie aloud.

"More CAVE HOPPERS?" asked Momo hopefully.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," Summer said in a monotone voice, taking out her cell phone. "Well, I guess I'd better cancel that before – "

"Boo," someone said behind her. She jumped, making her phone fly out of her hand and hit the computer screen right where Sokka's nose was.

"Ow!" he complained, even though it didn't really hit him, but everyone's attention turned to the new arrival.

He wasn't an FCP member, so stop drooling, fangirls. He was about as tall as Zuko and had dark, chestnut-brown hair and a light tan. Summer screamed and leapt to her feet, embracing him in a tight hug.

"Ben!" she squealed happily. "You came! You came! You came!" She was in hysterics at this point, and Ben looked quite used to it. Her mellow mood was obviously, immediately lifted. She released him from the tight hug.

"Well, I'm a little late, but yeah… I did come," he said, flashing a grin.

"Who's that?" Linda asked flirtatiously, still on the ground. Ben raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, who's the party pooper?" Sokka asked from the screen.

"This is Ben," Summer introduced, ignoring Sokka's comment. Ben gave a small wave.

"_This_ is your special surprise, Summer?" Sokka scoffed, and Ellie raised a threatening fist at him. Sokka leapt back in alarm.

"Ben is someone I met that week I took a break away from FanFiction," Summer explained.

"Oh, yeah, and you had that annoying note up on your profile," Linda said, remembering. Summer's face turned red.

"So, how is _this_ a surprise?" Sokka asked, motioning towards Ben, who was awkwardly looking at the scene playing around him.

Sokka was a boy talking from a computer screen with a ponytail, and was constantly adding the word 'flappapow' to every sentence he spoke. Ellie was angrily glaring at him, fist raised. Summer's face was beet red, and she was sputtering out something about how Sokka had to be more polite. Linda was on the floor, looking very harassed, hair tousled and clothes slightly torn. And an animal he'd never seen before was chasing around what looked like the offspring of a white cricket and a grasshopper on crack.

"Ben is a new A:TLA fan, Sokka," Summer said. "He had just started watching the show recently, and I asked if he wanted to come on the webcast with me." Sokka still didn't look very happy.

"I was supposed to be here for the 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' game," Ben explained.

"Oh, let me guess," Sokka said sarcastically, his voice cracking again. "You were supposed to be the good cop." Ben nodded, and Sokka scowled.

"Well, I'm still glad you're here now," Summer told Ben. "Even though I'm just going to do the ending announcements, and we're going to sign off.

"Well, let's do it then," Ben replied, smiling, and she blushed.

"It's time for SD News," Summer beamed at the web camera, visibly about ten times happier than she had been five minutes ago.

"SD stands for Summer's Day!" Linda beamed, and everyone looked down at her strangely.

"I think we have CAVE HOPPERS, I mean, established that," Momo said. Ben looked down at him, thoroughly in amazement.

"Did that lemur just – "

"Don't ask," Summer told him quickly. "Anyway, I need help deciding what chapter to do next. And seeing that you, my readers, are who make or break my FanFiction career, you should decide which you like. I'm going to show you a list of possible chapters, and if you feel like putting in your say, review with which one you want next."

* * *

Chapter name: **S****taying IC with Mai, Who's Exciting Apparently  
**FCP Member: Mai  
Fan girl/boy: Ben

Chapter name: **Adventures of the Avatar and Vague Girl  
**FCP Member: Aang  
Fan girl/boy: Mikyla

Chapter name: **To Start and End with Zuko (again!)  
**FCP Member: Zuko  
Fan girl/boy: Ellie

Chapter name: **Creativity Cheerleading Camp  
**FCP Member: Ty Lee _w/ Sokka guest star_  
Fan girl/boy: Summer _w/ Surprise Appearance_

* * *

"There's the list," Summer said. "And if you have your own idea, fill out one of these small forms and either PM me, Formspring me, or if you're lazy, just review me. Oh, and no more requests about being in the story. I'm sorry, I have reached the maximum of six, and it's plenty to deal with."

"Who's the last one?" Sokka quickly calculated.

"It's a surprise," Summer said.

"It better be a better surprise than this one – " Sokka began, but before he could say anything else, Ellie stomped out of the room, and screams could be heard outside.

"So... the meat eater was out there the whole time?" Momo asked, and everyone nodded. "CAVE HOPPER?" he asked, offering one to everyone. Everyone slowly backed away, and Linda gently removed the translator off Momo's head.

"I suppose I wasn't much help, was I?" asked Ben.

"That's okay," Summer told him. "I'm not even going to post this anyway."

* * *

**Sokka here. I've hacked Summer's computer and posted this without permission! Don't look at me like that. So what if I stalked her to get it? Yes, I'm smart enough to hack computers, why? Stop asking questions!**

**I'm looking for reviews on which chapter you want next. Oh, and what you think of Ben. If you ask me, he's a sucka. But just to see what everyone else thinks, I put a poll on her profile that you should definitely stop by to vote in. Ben, Summer, and I will all reply to your review, so leave personal messages if ya like. Wait, Summer will only respond if she finds out. And Ben will only reply if I don't banish him to a hole first! Yeah, that's a good way to end this. Sokka out.**


	8. Stay In-Character - Mai

**I don't know. This chapter isn't doing it for me. Maybe I'm losing my touch, who knows, but I hope you enjoy anyway. And I admit I have a LOT of trouble keeping Avatar characters IC myself, but I've picked up a few tricks that I use, and I hope this'll help.**

**Special thanks to: -**_mike50333, PurpleStripedShirt, BlueFireGirl1237, Distant-Moon, Kendelle Nicole, BlueStripedShirt, Klbooks, Lahlie, Daughter of the sea, Jiao-jie, Avatar Sara, hurricane1714_**, **_Flappapow, werdycnan,__OMG it's Rice, _**and**_ Sophia Abera Carter_**. My lovely loyal reviewers.  
**_-Forever Fyre _**for all of your helpful suggestions. I used them all. ;) And for the website! That's right, **_Summer's Day_** now has a website! **_www DOT the fcp DOT webs DOT com.  
-Singer in the Silence _**for being my fabulous (and patient!) Beta for this chapter! Without her, Mai probably wouldn't be IC in this. And that would just be embarrassing.  
**_-CanonKink_**: the author of **_No Love, Mai_**. I used a lot of the points in the parody, and it's an amazing read: **_www DOT fanfiction DOT net/s/5811614/1/_

* * *

**Stay IC with Mai, Who's Exciting Apparently**

Ben raced down the street, trying not to bump into people as he did so. He was incredibly late for his meeting with his assigned FCP member. Summer was going to be _so_ angry with him. He quickly forced the thought of an angry Summer out of his mind as he approached the office building where he was told to meet Mai. At least he _thought_ it was the office building, but he couldn't tell.

It was raining, and everything was foggy around him. All the colors smeared into a nasty, gloomy grey. The street was full of people bustling to meet their afternoon appointments.

"Excuse me!" complained a professionally-dressed woman he had just bumped into. She was carrying an umbrella, which made him envious. He didn't even think to bring one.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm late for –" he began, but he wasn't looking where he was going, and his forehead slammed into the metal stop sign on the corner.

"The nerve of some people!" the woman huffed, wiping off her wrinkled blouse in dismay.

The stop sign left a huge red mark on his forehead, standing out against his slightly olive complexion. Ben rubbed his forehead and grit his teeth together. Today was not going at all the way he had hoped. Just as this thought crossed his mind, a large truck drove by. It zoomed past him and drenched him in a mixture of mud and dirty rain water.

"Thanks!" he yelled sarcastically as it drove away. He was truly disgusting. Mai would not be pleased.

There was nothing he could do but continue to the office building. He opened the huge glass door and did his best to wipe his feet on the mat. Eyes turned as he entered, and he realized how terribly out of place he was. Everyone around him was wearing a suit, while he was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. Everyone around him was neat and tidy, and he was covered in mud. The whole room had a soft glow as light colors danced around him… and he was covered in a mixture of brown, black, and grey.

Thoroughly embarrassed by his appearance, he slowly trudged over to the front desk.

"Excuse me," he said to the secretary. "Can you show me where Room 152 is?"

"No need," a voice said to his right. Mai had emerged from a long staircase, wearing her usual garb. "You must be the fan I am teaching today," she continued, looking at a sheet of paper. The she looked up at him. She appeared disgusted by the tall boy standing in front of her covered in mud. "Ben McCoy, is it?"

"Yeah… but I don't think you're the person that I'm looking for," he replied. "Summer told me to expect someone in a black hoodie and jeans, I'm pretty sure…" Mai snorted at him.

"The whole idea of wearing a uniform to do this kind of thing is ridiculous." She rolled her eyes. "And besides, you're wearing the FCP uniform anyway. Now are you coming or not?"

Ben shrugged. He indeed was wearing a black hoodie and jeans. Without further complaint, he followed her over to the staircase, slopping filth all over the white marble floor. The secretary began to shriek, and Ben quickly picked up his pace, putting as much distance between the highly-polished lobby and his sopping wet clothes as possible.

"Is this always how you like to make first impressions?" Mai questioned. "By being late and covered in filth?

"I'm sorry I'm late," he began. "First Sokka banished me to a hole, and then this crazy woman made me bump into a pole, and then this truck –"

"I don't want to listen to your life story," she sighed, and Ben stopped talking. Random crickets began to chirp, but after a threatening glare from Mai, they shut up.

Their small talk ended there. Mai's hard gaze made him nervous, but he gave her a reassuring smile. She gave him nothing in return. They reached the top of the staircase and began walking down a long hallway.

"So!" He clapped his hands and rubbed them together in anticipation. "How do we do this thang?"

"Thang?" Mai questioned. She halted in her tracks. "We're not doing anything until you start speaking correctly." Her voice was raspy and had little emotion imbedded in it.

"Okay… how do we do this _thing_?" Ben asked, accepting correction.

"What thing?" she questioned, boredom and annoyance seeping through each letter.

"This FCP thing," he answered, swiping his bangs to the side. He could swear he almost saw her roll her eyes underneath her heavy black bangs, but he couldn't be sure.

"Summer didn't explain?" Mai asked exasperatedly, even though she hadn't even started teaching yet.

"No… and I have a question…" Ben began cautiously. Mai gave a slight nod, and he continued. "_You're_ the one dating Sokka, right?" Mai's expression turned spiteful.

"No!" she spat. "I'm with Zuko. How could you get Sokka and Zuko confused?" she continued, her voice quickly returning back to her normal bored tone.

"Is Sokka the obnoxious one?" he questioned flatly. She nodded. "And who's Zuko?"

"The anti-social emo one."

"Ah, okay." Mai rolled her eyes again, knowing that was the only way non-dedicated fans would label her boyfriend.

"In here," she said, opening a door with the numbers 152 in a frame slightly above their heads. Ben stepped in and sat down in the nearest chair as Mai closed the door behind them. "What am I supposed to teach you again?" she asked, sitting down in a swivel chair and spinning so that she faced him.

"I don't know, I thought –"

"Oh, wait. Here's Summer's note." She removed a slip of paper from a black folder on the long desk that took up about a third of the room. Ben's patience began to whither as she read aloud, "Dear Mai, Ben will be meeting you in the office building across from the park at 11: 30." She paused to look up at Ben, eyebrows raised.

"It's 12:10, you kno –"

"I know," he replied short-temperedly. Mai gave him a disapproving scary glare, and then continued to read as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"You guys should do your lesson in room 152… blah blah blah… black hoodie and jeans, as if… folder has everything… etcetera etcetera… mashed potatoes… yeah… lock doors behind you because Sokka is out to get said person, old news… shackle him to a wall. Right." Mai pleasantly looked up at Ben to see him staring at her wide-eyed. She gave a slight smirk, pleased with his reaction.

"Is that really what it says?" he questioned. "Did it even say what I'm learning?"

"Yes. You are learning how to keep characters in character."

"Where did it say that?" he demanded.

"Right between the part about mashed potatoes and the part about locking the doors because Sokka is out to get you."

"So, did we lock the doors?"

"_We_ didn't. _I_ didn't. I don't have to worry about Sokka. You can lock it if you want to, but he can pick locks." Ben groaned. "Do you want to get started or not?" Mai began to flip through the folder, her narrow eyes as she skimmed each page.

"What's in there?" Ben questioned.

"Well, aren't you nosy," she snapped, and then turned back to the papers. "Are lists the only things she can come up with?" she muttered more to herself than Ben. "Here's one that actually looks useful." She sighed and lay it out on the table so he could see. It was labeled: _Keeping OCs in Character_.

"OC means original character, right?" Ben asked, and she nodded. "Well, then, how can they be out of character if you made them up?"

"Why don't you read the paper?" Mai asked in return, and he did.

* * *

_**Keeping OCs In Character**_

_You may think that keeping your own characters in character is easy, but it's not as easy as you play it out to be. __**OCs have distinct personalities**__ too, and unless you want your readers to be confused, you should _keep_ them distinct. Be consistent.  
If asked to give an OC's __**worst trait**__, the reader should be able to do it. The best trait is more difficult.  
To make sure your OC's personality is distinct and clear, you should __**fill out the form below**__. An example has been provided below of the character "Summer."_

Name: Summer Dae  
Worst Trait: Hopelessly Scatterbrained  
Best Trait: Keeps patience  
Ambition in Story: To teach fellow aspiring authors a few tricks to writing  
Does he/she achieve it and why? Who knows, because it's up to the audience

_Why is this in the IC chapter you may ask? Because this is __**what you should live by**__! Each trait has to shine through with each chapter you publish! With __**each line they speak**__! Only then, will your OC be complete._

* * *

"Well, that was sickeningly inspirational," Mai said, breaking the silence that had consumed the room as they both read the document. "She sounds like Iroh."

"What about A:TLA characters? How do you keep them in character?"

"You should fill out one of those lists for each character you have," Mai replied. "But it appears there is another list we're supposed to look at," she continued, rifling through the folder again and pulling out another sheet.

Ben began to reach for it, but she held up a finger. "I don't care how original and amazing this form is. There is always one way you can make sure your characters are in character."

"Really? What's that?" he asked, rather excitedly.

"Well, two actually. One, get someone else to go through and make sure. Even if they're not the greatest Beta in the world, they should still be able to tell. And two, actually imagine what the character would do if they were put in the situation you're placing them in. Imagine the whole scene playing through in your mind."

"But, if you're imagination isn't that great – "

"If you think that it could be aired on television, and Mike and Bryan wouldn't puke or cry watching it, then it's probably fine." Ben stared at her, not saying a word. "I have that effect on people." Mai shrugged simply. "Now read."

* * *

**Things You Should Not Do When Trying to Keep Characters IC**

_1._ Have them Go Crazy – _Unless we're talking about Sokka, you'd better __**give a good reason why**__. Being withheld food and water? Being trapped in another dimension? Yeah, those are good reasons. Being beaten in a duel? No one would go crazy with the exception of Azula._

_2. _Do Things for No Apparent Reason_ – You should __**always always always give a reason**__ behind any characters' actions, and a legit one at that. Notice it's in bold and written three times. This is especially important when you have an __**OC or are making a change in a canon character's**__ personality._

_3._ Make them Cry Over Everything _– Sure, they're human, but do we cry over every little thing? Hopefully not. Only make the characters cry at __**touching moments**__, and it'll make those moments more powerful. If they __**cry too much, it won't mean a thing**__ anymore._

_4._ Make them Never Cry – _Unless it's in their character _not_ to cry. But really, Zuko and Azula are toughb and they cried at least once in the series. __**Certain things touch certain character's hearts. You have to distinguish what those things are.**_

_5. _Have them be Their Opposite – _This is going to sound stupid to most of you, but it's been done before. Here are all the things __**the Gaang is **_**not**_._

_**Aang**__ is not a completely mature teenager who enjoys others' suffering and eating meat.  
__**Katara**__ is not a cruel-hearted girl who holds grudges against every person who annoys her.  
__**Sokka**__ is not Zuko, but also not a complete goof who makes obnoxious jokes when things are clearly serious.  
__**Toph**__ is not a preppy petunia who is always looking for romance, love, and attention.  
__**Zuko**__ is not… there are so many things Zuko's not. He's not a lovesick puppy or swimsuit model (I think we established this in Chapter 1One thank you). He's not a popular jock and he's not a complete social outcast who never speaks. Sure, he's an outcast, but not the kind that never talks. He doesn't fall for all those girls who want to "change him," and he only talks about his feelings with people he trusts._

_6._ Never Refer Back to the Show – _Ahem! The show is golden! It shows the characters at their peak! You should __**ALWAYS REFER TO THE SHOW**__! Oh, my caps lock was on. But I'm not even kidding with my seriousness about this. You want to see __**how the characters interact**__ with one another? You want to __**see their relationships**__? It's all written in gold in the show!_

_Oh, yeah. If you're doing a fic that takes place during one of the episodes, set it in the scene. It won't kill you to watch it again and use the script. Set it up, and don't expect everyone to just know. It's confusing._

* * *

Random crickets began chirping again.

"You know, I can just see Summer screaming this as she's typing." Ben smirked. Mai began looking through the folder again. Her face twisted as she skimmed through each paper and threw it off the table. Finally, her patience was at its limit, and she stood up.

"Screw this," Mai announced, shoving the folder off the table.

"What?" Ben asked, raising his eyebrows, and also wondering if that kind of language was allowed in a K+ rated piece.

"I have something I want to tell all the fans out there. Are you listening? Because I'm only saying this once. I'm _not_ a cold-hearted, emotionless person. I do have feelings, for your information. I have feelings enough to let you know, that all of you who kill my character just because you're a Zutarian, you have a lot to learn."

Mai slammed her hand flat on the table, and Ben tumbled off his chair. "I'm not going to go through an entire spiel about how terrible the couple Zutara is, but I _am_ ready to defend myself from those of you completely bash my character just because you like Zutara. I don't hate Katara, I really don't, and I respect your opinion. But is there any need to turn my character into someone I'm not?"

Mai grabbed one of the pieces of paper that was in the folder and a pen.

"This should be the most useful thing I've taught today," she muttered, making a list of her own.

* * *

_**All the Things I'm Not **_

_1. A silent onlooker. I will say what I think when the time is appropriate. It's not like you can say you've never heard me speak before. However, sometimes, it's just not worth it._

_2. A delinquent in desperate need of anti-depressants. First off, I'm not a criminal. The only crime I've committed is saving Zuko's butt at the Boiling Rock. And I'm sure the rest of the series wouldn't be as interesting to watch for a few drooling fangirls if Zuko had fallen in the boiling water. You should be thanking me.  
And everyone in this world has a few things they hate. My main complaint, I hate being bored. If Katara complained she was bored all the time, would you bash her character? I didn't think so._

_3. An ugly, angry partner. You wish. Zuko makes me happy, and he thinks I'm beautiful just the way I am. What more can I ask for? What more can _YOU ask for?

_4. A cruel and raving lunatic. I don't go out of my way to insult people. But if they had it coming, hey, that's another thing. I'm not crazy, and in fact, I'm the complete opposite if you think about it._

_5. Ty Lee. Enough said._

* * *

"And if you're really looking for listed documentary about how I feel about this, you can take a look at this: www dot fanfiction dot net/s/5811614/1/. I'm sure it'll be worth your while."

"You memorized the link?" Ben asked from the floor.

"Don't judge me," she replied. "And if you have anything you have to say about what I said before, I would like to see you say it to my face," she threatened, more to the listening audience than just Ben.

After the dramatic moment had passed, she began to pick up the papers that were strewn around the floor.

"Impressive," Ben said, handing her a few sheets. She gave him a slight smile. "But what did Summer mean when she talked about shackling someone to the wall?" he asked. Mai reached in her pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"These were for Sokka if he dared to show up," she replied, dangling them from one finger.

"Ah, that's so cool!" Ben marveled, sounding like a child who was entranced by a new toy. "How do they work? What's that thing on the back?"

"Well, stick your hands out, and I'll show you," Mai said, opening each cuff. She strapped them each on one of Ben's wrists and shut them tight, and then locked them with her key. "That thing on the back is to attach it to the wall," she explained, raising it up and hooking it to the wall so Ben's arms were raised above him. "There." She finished.

"And you were going to do this to Sokka?" he asked.

"I suppose, but I found another use for it."

"Really? What's that?"

"Are you really that ignorant?" she asked, and realization dawned on Ben. "I don't like being left to wait," Mai continued dryly. "And I didn't have as much fun as Summer said I would teaching you about keeping characters IC. So, I'm going to teach you how to be on time. Forty minutes, Mr. McCoy."

"Why forty?" he demanded.

"Because that's how long I had to wait. I'm sure your girlfriend will appreciate this."

"But what if I don't –"

"I don't want to listen to your life story," she sighed again. But this time, a small smile replaced her bored expression.

"Will you at least tell me why Summer put mashed potatoes in that note?"

"No. Use your imagination."

* * *

**Sokka here. Again. Summer said people apparently liked the author's note I left last time, so I'm doing it again. She also said something about a review prompt? I don't know about that, but three cheers for Mai! She showed that McCoy sucka whose boss!**

**This is embarrassing, but Summer rescued Ben from the hole and stuck me in it instead. Said I needed to "learn my lesson." It's not like my girlfriend will appreciate this lesson, Summer! Tell Summer to let me out! That's a good review prompt. SAVE SOKKA!**


	9. Starting and Ending - Zuko

****

Note: This chapter's been a pain in my butt! So hopefully, you will enjoy it. **Also, there's lots of foreshadowing that you may not understand now, but it will all make sense later.  
Warning: This chapter is very random-tastical. You've been warned.**

**Special thanks to: **_mike50333, Distant-Moon, XoAirbenderoX, Forever Fyre, SilverEternal, Alexandera, I'm not an author, Cra-zGirl100, Klbooks, Insane Beatleist Dancer Freak, Haruka Hoshine, BlueStripedPolo, WritingSchizo101, Sapphique Infiniti, RoseIsahredandVioletTsirblou, thesomethingness. _**You guys are so wonderful.  
**_Linda_**, for Beta-ing this chapter!  
I'm so excited that **_Summer's Day_** has over 100 reviews and my community is #9 (one more subscriber and it'll be #8) out of over 300 Avatar communities!**

**

* * *

**

**Start and End with Zuko (again!)**

Ellie paced back and forth outside the history museum, shaking her head with disgust. Zuko was supposed to have met her two minutes ago. TWO MINUTES! Two minutes in which she could have been watching Avatar. Two minutes in which she could have been reading FanFiction. Two minutes in which she could be hunting Sokka down just for the fun of it. Really, Zuko, you can really do a lot in two minutes.

Finally, she spotted him making his way towards the museum, wearing a black hoodie and jeans. She waved, and he joined her.

"What took you so long?" she asked impatiently.

"What? I'm right on time," he replied. She showed him her watch. He rolled his eyes. "Fangirls," he muttered. He knew that the only reason they were so obsessed with being on time was because they had _so_ much practice getting to the television at the exact time Avatar was on.

"Why are you still wearing the FCP uniform?" Ellie asked him.

"This is what we decided at the first meeting," he said, slightly impatiently, then blinked. "Why? Are other people not wearing it?"

"Mai wasn't wearing it in the last chapter," she pointed out. Zuko shrugged, knowing his girlfriend wouldn't be caught dead wearing a sweatshirt and jeans.

"Hey, that's Mai –"

"And I got a tip off from Summer that Ty Lee's not going to be wearing it in the next chapter."

"She's cheerleading though. How can you cheerlead in jeans?" he countered.

"Ty Lee could cheerlead in anything."

"Touché," Zuko said. "So, are we going to go inside so I can actually teach you something today?" he asked.

"Wait! I have one more question." Zuko groaned as she continued. "What are we doing at a history museum?"

"I'm actually not sure…" his voice trailed off. "I'm teaching you how to start and end stories. And we're at a history museum, which shows the beginning and end of history. And that relates… somehow."

"Whatever," Ellie shrugged it off. "Let's go inside."

Zuko led her into the large museum. It had a tall ceiling, long Greek styled pillars, and an unrealistically shiny floor that was just begging a small child to drop his ice cream cone on. The whole museum was sharp and gold. There was no one in the room except for them and a woman sitting at the information desk.

"We have the 12:15 tour," Zuko told Ellie, then glanced at the floor. "I wonder if this floor is flammable…" His voice trailed off curiously.

Ellie made her way over to the information desk and paid no attention to Zuko, who was rubbing his hands together, ready to create fire for no good reason in particular.

"Where's the 12:15 tour?" she asked the woman at the desk politely.

"Oh, they're right over –" The woman glanced up, took one look at Zuko fire bending at the floor, and then ran from the room screaming. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"So courteous," he sighed sarcastically.

"Why would you do that?" Ellie demanded. "That wasn't IC of you at all! That's the kind of idiotic thing Sokka would do!" Zuko just shrugged and leaned against a pillar, looking especially emo… and IC. Ellie sighed in defeat.

"I guess the tour's this way!" she said brightly and began to follow the woman.

Zuko knew for a fact that the woman was not expecting them to follow her, and that the only reason he had to be OOC was for the sake of foreshadowing, but he shrugged and followed Ellie through a door labeled "Employees Only". As soon as they entered, they heard a man yelling down the hall.

"What do you mean? Get back to your post!" his gruff voice echoed through the hall.

The woman who had been screaming before shuffled out into the hall, took one look at Ellie and Zuko, and then yelled at her boss, "Come out here, sir! The arsonists are right here!"

"What now, Susan?" the man complained from in his office. Ellie quickly put up Zuko's hood to hide his scar as a precaution, while Zuko violently stuffed his hands into his sweatshirt's pocket.

Susan's boss thundered out into the hall. He was a heavy set man who looked like the hair on his head had been flipped. In other words, he had a lot more hair on his chin than his scalp.

"That's him, Mr. McDonald!" Susan yelled hysterically. "The boy with the magical fingers!" Mr. McDonald raised an eyebrow at Zuko, who innocently looked at a nearby gold wall.

"Get back to work, Susan," he rolled his eyes. "I want the 12:15 tour done so we can do our presentation." He smiled love sickly. "We just put in those beautiful gold curtains. I can't wait to use them!" With that, he left Susan standing in the hallway staring at Zuko and Ellie with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"First my sister comes across a girl dressed like she's the queen of China with knives everywhere, and now I'm stuck with magical hands dude," she muttered. Ellie raised an eyebrow at Zuko.

"What did Mai do?" she asked accusingly. Zuko shrugged. "Where does your sister work?" Ellie asked the woman.

"At the office building a few miles from here," Susan replied, and Ellie made a mental note to ask Ben what had gone on in his lesson.

Without another word, Susan led Ellie and Zuko back out into the lobby.

"The tour's this way," she said, leading them into a hallway with a few people crowded in it, looking at brochures.

"Yo, word. I'm DJ Lala," a random guy from the front of the group said to Ellie. He had a large baseball hat on sideways, covering one of his eyes. His clothes were baggy, and he had several chain necklaces on. Ellie raised an eyebrow at him.

"Say what?" she asked.

"I'm supposta help with the comic relief in this chappie, dawg," DJ Lala said.

"What's going on here?" Zuko questioned, and DJ Lala turned to him.

"Wanna hear somma my rappin', yo?" he asked.

Before waiting for Zuko's reply, he cleared his throat and began to rap. "My name's DJ Lala. I like Lady Gaga. And drinkin' agua from those little wata fountas.

Ellie and Zuko blinked.

"Please let me set him on fire," Zuko said.

Susan sighed. "Let's get started with the tour," she said, leading them into an exhibit.

Like any good history museum, it started with the dinosaurs. Zuko and Ellie listened quietly as Susan rambled about pterodactyls.

"Yo, I'm DJ Lala," DJ Lala said to Zuko. Zuko groaned.

"I know. You told me already."

"Wanna hear me rap and chizz?"

"Not really." Zuko gritted his teeth. But DJ Lala began to rap anyway.

"I'm DJ Lala. I like agua. And takin' showas that smell like prittay flowas…"

Zuko's face turned red. His patience was diminished; he just couldn't take DJ Lala's random rapping and terrible spelling anymore. So without thinking twice, he set DJ Lala's butt on fire.

"Ouchie!" DJ Lala hollered. Everyone ignored him.

"Can you teach me something?" Ellie asked him quietly as DJ Lala ran around trying to douse the flames.

"Yeah… next time you go to a museum, take the self guided tour," Zuko whispered back. Ellie gave him a glare. "Oh! You mean a list or something. Okay." He dug into his pocket and pulled out some folded pieces of paper. Ellie took them and unfolded the first one.

* * *

**How to Start a Story**

_Starting a story isn't nearly as hard as ending one. Unless you really want a creative bang, then this is the easy part. Your main character(s) should have strong feelings about something. It interests readers and makes them want to find out why._

_There are five main ways you can start a story:_

**1.)** **Character action – **This one is super easy. Though it can be argued that this is narrative, it's more abrupt. You can use the direct or indirect approach.  
_Direct – __Zuko __stormed through the doors in a fit of rage.  
Indirect – __He__ flung himself into a room, simply throwing the doors out of his path._

**2.) Direct Dialogue – **There's no indirect or direct way to do this. The Direct Dialogue (DD) Way is just starting out the story with a catchy line. If you want to be really adorable, you can use the DD ending to go along with the DD beginning. More info on that will come later.

_Ex. "You know I'll always love you. Until the end of time."  
"You're lying."_

**3.) The Narrative – **This is the most popular way. You simply start the story with a solid sentence. Since this way is so popular, I'll list a couple of examples.

_-Setting – The sun beat down on the fire lord's tall palace.  
__-Description – Her silky white locks billowed down her back.  
__-Feelings – Never had she been in a position of such fear._

**4.) Single Word – **This is gradually becoming more popular, especially in adventure stories. I really like this method, because it's awesome if you do it right. Just make sure the word you choose is appropriate.

_Ex. Alone.  
__She left me alone._

_or…_

No.  
"You wouldn't dare!" I yelled.

**5.) Quote – **This sets the scene for the story and gives it a sophisticated feel. It may be a lesson the character needs to learn or just a quote that appropriately relates to the story. The next example is one I used in my other story, Price of Victory.

_Ex. __~Just because his eyes don't tear doesn't mean his heart doesn't cry. And just because he comes off strong, doesn't mean there's nothing wrong. ~  
-Unknown_

__

_

* * *

_

"This chapter fails," Ellie announced to Zuko. "We're already 1,500 words in, half the lesson is over, and we haven't even had anything funny happen yet… besides you trying to set the floor on fire."

"This is a pretty easy lesson," Zuko shrugged. "I told you it would be heavy on the story aspect and not so much on the lesson."

"No, you didn't…" she said.

"Oh, well I meant to," Zuko said. "Ty Lee will make up for that."

"You just mad, yo, cuz I be takin' more showas than you, dawg. You no take no showas," DJ Lala said randomly.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" Zuko demanded loudly. He set him on fire again.

"Well, took care of that problem," he said. Ellie smiled.

As they continued onto the next exhibit, Susan blabbered on about things that no one particularly cared about. The tour continued on like that for what seemed like forever, and Ellie grew terribly impatient. She kept trying to tell Zuko to just get on with the next list, but every time she tried, Susan would hush her.

"I hate this!" she moaned quietly to Zuko.

"Shush!" Susan hissed at her from the other side of the room.

Finally, they were led back to the lobby area.

"About time!" Ellie yelled to the sky. Several parents and their kids turned to stare at her.

"And now," said Susan with an overly large smile. "We will be going to the auditorium to hear a presentation." Ellie's eye twitched.

"I hate her," she muttered to Zuko.

"Shush!" Susan hushed her.

Ellie was about to race forward and strangle the woman, but Zuko held her back.

"I hate this chapter! I hate this chapter!" she cried. "Whose idea was it to come to a freaking history museum anyway? I hate history! Why would you do this to me?"

"It was all Summer's idea," Zuko said defensively.

"It's _always_ Summer's idea." Ellie rolled her eyes.

"It's always the author's fault," Zuko said a matter-of-factly. "If a story is good or bad, it's all the author's fault. It just can't be helped."

"Don't you go all Iroh on me," she replied short-temperedly.

They entered the auditorium, and huge shimmery curtains hung over the stage. Zuko's hands twitched. They desperately wanted to send those highly flammable curtains burning to the ground.

"Yo, dawgs, mind if I sit with ya?" DJ Lala rapped.

"Yeah, dawg, actually we do," Zuko retorted. DJ Lala sat in the row right in front of them anyway.

"Never ever saw the word 'dawg' again," Ellie said and then slunk into her seat. "I can't wait until this is over."

As soon as she said that, Mr. McDonald walked onto the stage wearing a shimmery gold suit. Susan began to clap, and the audience followed her lead. DJ Lala stood up and began shouting gleefully and jumping up and down. Zuko rubbed his temples.

Susan shot DJ Lala a glare as Mr. McDonald began his speech about some new exhibit that was opening.

"Do I need to escort you out?" she demanded, stomping over to them. DJ Lala got on his knees.

"Please let me stay! I'll make you a cake, sing you a song, and let you borrow my gangsta pants!" he pleaded. Zuko discreetly shot his butt on fire. DJ Lala began running around.

"What's your problem?" Susan hissed so as not to disturb her boss' speech.

"_My_ problem?" Zuko countered defensively. "It's not my fault you're prejudiced against people with magical fingers!"

"That's a great quote," Ellie smirked.

"I will call the police on all three of you!" Susan threatened, pointing a finger accusingly at Ellie.

"What?" Ellie shrieked, standing up. "I have been sitting here quietly this whole time –"

"Shush!" Susan hushed. Ellie's face turned red.

"If you shush me one more time, woman, I swear that I will break your face in half –"

"Ellie, let me handle this," Zuko said politely. Then he turned back to Susan and DJ Lala. "I'm going to set you both on fire!"

"Excuse me," Mr. McDonald's voice came from the front of the auditorium. "Is there a problem back there?" All four of them turned. Everyone in the room was staring at them. "Do you want to give this speech? Or can I continue?"

"Ooh! Pick me, dawg!" DJ Lala hollered, raising his hand. "I give great speeches, yo!"

Zuko stomped down to the podium and took it away from Mr. McDonald. He began talking to the audience, which was mostly filled with small children and young teens.

"So, how many of you like to write?" he asked. Ellie's face flushed with embarrassment. She should've known something weird was going to happen. Whenever _Summer's Day_ got near a group of people, they were bound to create a diversion.

Several hands went up in response to Zuko's question.

"Well, I have something I want to teach everyone today. It's how to end a story." There was silence in response. No one knew quite what to think, so Zuko just began with his lesson.

* * *

**How to End a Story**

_Now comes the hard part. Weak endings are so much easier to come by than weak beginnings. You have to wrap everything up and leave the reader at least somewhat fulfilled. Let's explore a few different endings._

**1.) Cliffies** – These are so fun. Though, I don't usually like to leave them for official ends of stories. They work better for ends of chapters. Usually, cliffies are epiphanies or just a new bit of information that will change everything for a character. A great deal of unsettlement is left within the reader.

**2.) Short and Sweet** – These endings are one or two words. I used one of these endings at the end of the TALNS, which was "And cut." As in, a director's cut. And since I felt the need to explain that, it really wasn't a strong ending. The reader should understand exactly what you're talking about, which makes these endings a little trickier.

**3.) DD Ending – **This ending, very much like its partner the "DD Beginning", ends with straight dialogue. It can be something new that closes off the conversation, or to be extra cute, it can repeat a quote from earlier in the story.

**4.) Character Action** – This just ends with something the character does. It could be symbolic or just something that closes off the story.

_Ex. They ran into the sunset, holding hands.  
or…  
He felt his pulse one more time and then turned to face the rush of the wind._

___Ooh, I like that one. I might have to keep that!_

**5.) Good Old Narrative –**Basically, this is the same as the Narrative beginning, only for the ending. This is a simple ending. Just keep in mind that you have to sum everything up, even if you're planning a sequel. You can still leave some loose ends, but the main plot should at least be over. Other than that, it's up to you!

* * *

The audience began to clap. Zuko just blinked and handed the podium back to Mr. McDonald. Ellie ran onto the stage and gave Zuko a big hug.

"Aww, I wanna hugga!" DJ Lala cried.

Zuko's face twisted into an ugly frown. He shot a huge wave of fire at DJ Lala's butt. However, he missed, and hit the curtains, sending them up in flames. Mr. McDonald's face turned purple. Ellie grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher and shot out the flames. The curtains were left charred on the edges.

"Oh no! I will perform CPR!" DJ Lala cried, throwing himself on the purple Mr. McDonald.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Mr. McDonald yelled. "What is the meaning of this?" he shouted at Zuko.

"It was DJ Lala's fault! He… he… mind controlled me!" Zuko shouted defensively. Mr. McDonald was too angry to even listen to logic.

"He set my curtains on fire!" he yelled at two police officers, pointing at DJ Lala. "Arrest him!" Zuko quickly stepped aside and let them pass.

"Yo, yo, dudes. I be innocent, word!" cried DJ Lala.

As the police escorted DJ Lala away, Ellie took out her phone and called Summer.

"Hello, dollie. How can I help you today?" Summer's overly perky voice said from the other end.

"Summer, it's Ellie," Ellie said.

"Oh! Thank goodness you called. I have another tip I wanted to add to your chapter." She cleared her throat. "Before writing the ending to your story, I highly highly highly suggest that you read over your entire story all the way through. That way, you'll have an idea of what loose string you need to tie up and what information the reader is still wanting to know."

"Yeah, thanks," Ellie said dimissively. "The reason I called though was to ask why you sent that DJ Lala to help us."

"Yeah," Zuko said. "I did a wonderful job of keeping the chapter funny. I set the curtains of fire! And I almost burned the floor in the beginning."

"Aw, I'm so proud of you, Zuko," Summer said. "And who's this DJ Lala you're talking about, Ellie?"

"That guy you sent to help us with the comic relief!" Ellie said. "He kept randomly rapping about things that rhymed with Lala."

"I… I didn't send anybody," Summer replied. "Zuko setting things on fire was supposed to be the comic relief. I don't know what you guys are talking about." There was a short pause on the other end. "Sorry, I have to go and get Ty Lee ready for the next chapter." The dial tone clicked.

Ellie and Zuko stared at each other and then glanced at DJ Lala, who was still being escorted away. He turned and winked at them, flashing a wicked grin. Ellie almost passed out.

"This story keeps getting weirder and weirder," she said.

* * *

**Sokka: The next chapter is Ty Lee's lesson on creativity. Plus, **_**I'm**_** in it, so I know you'll love it. If any of our lovely readers have original cheers they want to see in the chapter, go ahead and review. And if you didn't like the chapter (which you probably didn't, because I wasn't in it), because it didn't contain a lot of lesson, you'll like Ty Lee's chapter a lot. It has four lists! Oh, joy!**


	10. Being Creative - Ty Lee

**Special thanks to: **_ricreaper, Forever Fyre, Alexandera, Jenelle14, Stormbrewer, Ishi Bana-Bana, Amy Raine, DAve and Bob, _**and**_ Sleeping Kangaroo_** for reviewing the last chapter. You're all fabulous!  
Fyre**_, for letting me use your crazy self in this story and for editing this chapter.  
My amazing _**reviewers**_, fabulous _**friends**_, various _**readers, and**_ community _**authors**_._

* * *

**Creativity Cheerleading Camp**

"F… CP! F… CP! We take terrible stories and make them the best they can be! F… CP!" Ty Lee cheered. She jumped into a perfect split in mid-air and waved her pompoms around. "Give us Sues and words that don't mean a thing, the FCP can fix everything!" She jumped up one more time then landed in a handstand. Ty Lee completed the act by effortlessly flinging her legs over and bowing.

Summer clapped enthusiastically.

"I love it!" she exclaimed, and Ty Lee grinned.

"You try!" Ty Lee shoved her silver and pink pompoms into Summer's arms. They matched her preppy pink outfit perfectly.

Ty Lee had dressed her in a hot pink skort (skirt/shorts) and cheerleading half top. There was also a long pink ribbon tied around her high ponytail. The outfit made Summer feel like a Barbie.

"F… CP…" Summer began weakly. "Bad stories are no match for us… blah blah blah, good spelling is a must," she quickly finished her rhyme. She then quickly hopped two inches off the ground and landed on one foot, shaking her pompoms vigorously to make up for her lack of creativity. "Word," she finished, throwing them into the air. They fell pathetically on the football field.

"Well, that was… nice," Ty Lee smiled. "What do you think?" she turned to her assistant coach who was sitting on a bench nearby.

"Summer, this is a lesson on creativity," snapped Sokka, who was wearing a coach whistle and holding a clipboard. "That was kind of sad." Summer pouted. "Okay, it wasn't terrible," he supplied, "but I've seen you be more creative."

"That's the first thing I'm going to teach you about," Ty Lee began, picking up the pompoms off the grass. "Everyone is creative to some extent, but there is _always_ room for improvement."

"Definitely," Summer agreed. Sokka nodded in approval, and then glanced at his clipboard.

"Here's your first list," he said, pulling out a sheet of paper.

"Awesome," Ty Lee took the paper from Sokka and began to skim it over. "The best way to be creative is to write based on inspirations, because everyone's experiences are unique."

* * *

**Transforming Inspiration into Creativity  
**_Have you ever experienced something that was just so powerful, you think it would make a wonderful story? Here are a few things on how you can channel your emotions into a heartfelt story that will make your writing even more original._

**Can you actually make a plotline out of this? **Before we go through this whole thing, figure out if you can actually make a situation out of it. The best way to figure out if you can actually create a good story would be to write a summary of the plot.

**Distinguish your Feelings – **You have to identify what you are feeling if you want to make your audience feel how you did. Get it? _Ex. Angst, Disappointment, Joy, Rage, Romantic, Happiness, Rejection, etc._

**What exactly happened to you?** You want to create an entirely original situation. It can definitely help to map out your ideas so your scene is more realistic. _Ex. Draw a Picture, um… Make a Sketch, Create the Image in your Mind into an Image on Paper…_

**Write it** – Then go back and read it. Do you feel the same way you did before?

* * *

"All my non-fanmade stories are written from inspiration," Summer pointed out. "Every single one."

"Good to know," Sokka said sarcastically, his voice on the edge of boredom.

"Now we have another list of things you can get inspiration from," Ty Lee smiled. Sokka sighed as he ruffled through his papers.

"I can't find it…" he said, then looked back at Ty Lee. "I guess you'll have to make up a cheer." Ty Lee's grin widened, and Summer felt sick to her stomach.

* * *

**Ty Lee's ABC Inspiration**

_A is for Art!_ A picture or a piece of music is also great inspiration. I got inspiration the first time I heard "Just a Dream" by _Nelly_. I wrote an entire one-shot after listening to it.  
_B is for Barbies! _Actually… I'd rather not explain this one. It's a long story._  
C is for Crying! _Anything that makes you cry is great inspiration. It doesn't matter if you're crying out of happiness, sadness, or anger. It works.  
_D is for Dreams! _The majority of my stories are inspired by dreams.  
_E is for Everything Else!_ Like a crush/boyfriend/girlfriend, people you know in real life (you can create OCs), a vacation, school, the possibilities are endless!

* * *

"I feel like I'm skimping out on the lists in this chapter…" Summer said, her voice trailing off. Suddenly Sokka jumped onto the field between Summer and Ty Lee.

"I found the list we were looking for! It was right on top of the pile!" he exclaimed. Summer glowered at him when someone approached them.

"Excuse me, how long are you guys supposed to be on the field?" a voice asked behind her. "We're going to play a game in about five to ten minutes, so I just wanted to let you know." Summer spun around to see Ben holding a football and a girl that looked about their age standing next to him. Ben's eyes widened.

"Ben?" Summer asked incredulously.

"Summer?" Ben returned, just as astonished.

"Fyre!" the girl next to him exclaimed. Summer and Ben both looked at her. "What?" she questioned.

"Not him again!" Sokka yelled rudely.

"I didn't know that it was you, Summer," Ben ignored him, trying to hide the embarrassment in his voice. "I probably should've recognized you, but… you… what on earth are you wearing?" he blurted out. Summer's eyes grew wider, remembering she was still wearing the preppy pink cheerleading outfit Ty Lee had picked out, and was immediately mortified.

"It's… nothing. Just something for the FCP, that's all," she stammered quickly. "Why, does it look strange?" She nervously tugged at her ponytail, causing the light pink ribbon to go lopsided.

"No, it actually looks nice," he assured her quickly. "I was just… it's just such a change. I mean, you wear pink sometimes, but this is just… so much. You know?" The girl next to him eyed him curiously.

"You actually know what color she wears?" she asked skeptically, then hooted in laughter, stepped back and shrieked, "Stalker!" so shrilly that everyone covered their ears. She then turned to Summer. "Hi, Summer. It's been a while!" Her long dark hair was pulled up into a high messy ponytail.

"By a while, do you mean since the last PM I sent you before I left half an hour ago? Then yeah, it has been a while." Summer grinned. "You guys are going to play football?" she asked, motioning at the football in Ben's arms. "I didn't know you played football, Ben."

"Flag football," Fyre told her, taking the football and tossing it up in the air then catching it. She then tossed it back to Ben. "We managed to get a team together, and –"

"Do you want to join us?" Ben interrupted. Summer smirked.

"Sure, if you don't mind how pink I am today."

"I told you it looks fine, it's just diff –"

"Are we going to flirt all day or finish the creativity lesson?" Sokka yelled obnoxiously, stomping over to where they all were standing. Ty Lee put her hands on her hips.

"Jeez, Sokka, calm down," she said, shaking her head.

"WHOA! HOLD IT A SEC! You're Sokka! From Avatar!" Fyre blurted out, then turned to Ty Lee. "And you're Ty Lee! Wow! Wow! Wow! This is so cool! You're real! I always knew! Haha, take that world! Can I have your autograph? Please? Please! Please?"

"Well… you don't really have a piece of paper that I can autograph," Sokka said reluctantly. Fyre yanked the football out of Ben's hand and shoved it at Sokka's chest.

"Here! Sign this!"

"Ew!" Sokka protested. "This stinks and has Mc –"

"Don't say it, Sokka," Summer growled threateningly. "I have a cell phone with Ellie's number and I'm not afraid to use it."

Ben didn't seem bothered by Sokka's comment as he remarked, "And a caffeine loving Fyre right here, too." Fyre ignored him and forced the football into Sokka's arms.

"But you must sign it!" she shouted, border-lining hysteria.

"Uh, Fyre? That's _my _football," Ben pointed out, trying to keep his voice polite.

"Do I look like I care?" asked Fyre, raising an eyebrow.

"Would you two like to join in the final segment of my lesson?" Ty Lee asked them both. Fyre just stared at the acrobat like she was experiencing a dream come true. Ben glanced from Sokka and then to Summer.

"What does that involve?" he asked cautiously.

"We're doing a quick cheer with a few exercises that you can do at home so your creative juices can get flowing!" Ty Lee explained cheerfully.

"Cheering?" he questioned, the word feeling dry in his mouth. Ty Lee nodded.

"Please?" Summer practically begged him. "Will you do it with me so I won't be the only one? Please?" Fyre snapped out of her daze, realizing that if Ben said yes, she would have to do it too.

"What? The guys will be here any minute, Ben! There's no way we're –"

"Sure, why not?" Ben interrupted, taking note of Summer's pleading expression. Fyre stared at him open-mouthed.

"What?" she squeaked helplessly.

"Of course, that means you'll have to wear the uniform." Sokka grinned evilly.

Five minutes later, Ben and Fyre were both dressed in pink. Fyre in a short shirt identical to Summer, and Ben in a pink t-shirt that was a size too big for him. Fyre was in a short skort, again, identical to Summer's, and Ben was dressed in hot pink skinny jeans.

"I didn't even know… that men jeans came in… pink," he stammered, blushing almost as pink as his t-shirt. "Or this tight…"

"You look nice in pink," Summer teased, winking. Ben blushed a deeper scarlet.

"This is ridiculous!" Fyre yelled, furiously tugging at her skirt. "I can't believe you let them do this to us!" She pointed an accusing finger at Ben. He was about to protest when Summer practically leapt into his arms in her attempt to give him a hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she exclaimed. "I owe you!"

"This backfired a little." Sokka rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now I want to see some cheering!" he yelled a little too happily.

"I'm going to throw this football at your head," Fyre snapped at him.

"This girl's as bad as Ellie!" Sokka complained to Summer. "Don't tell me this is the surprise you were talking about in the filler!"

"It is!" Summer grinned. "Surprise!" Sokka's lips tightened. Fyre bellowed an evil laugh, and he slumped in his seat. Ty Lee began to randomly cheer.

"F...CP, we take bad stories and make them the best they can be! F...CP...F...CP!"

"Fine, PAPWODRTW," Fyre blurted out. Everyone stared at her strangely. "Pickles and Penguins will one day rule the world! Gosh!" she told them as if it were obvious. Random crickets chirped. Ben let out an awkward laugh.

"Um, okay," Ty Lee said encouragingly. "Let's get on with the final section! Random Reviews and Replies."

* * *

_S-Michael – _So, this review is super lengthy, but the content is very good. I'm not going to shorten it, because, if I did, it would take away from its awesomeness.

_mike50333_- Ty Lee, he has been waiting patiently for you, and I think that he should get some recognition for his patience. *insert Ty Lee blowing you a kiss here*

_BlueStripedPolo_ – Linda thinks you stole her name by the way. Her review name is "PurpleStripedShirt". But you suggested I do a homophone lesson (as did _Sleeping Kangaroo_), which I shall make a quick activity for below.

**All my reviewers are some of the nicest people I've ever met on FanFiction. A special shoutout to all you special people in this chapter! Some authors don't appreciate their readers/reviewers enough, so I just wanted to let you know how much I love each one of you. *sends virtual cookies, money, boomerangs, whatever y'all want virtually, it's yours* Haha.**

* * *

"So, as my lovely reviewers have been asking me to do, I will make a homophone activity," Summer said. "The definition of a homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word, but is spelled differently. Here is a… um, I really don't know what to call it. But it contains a few activities to practice using the correct homophones. I think I'll put the answer key up on my profile for a few days after posting this. If you still want the answer key and it's not on my profile, feel free to PM me for it."

* * *

_Below are three different homophones, _**your**_ & _**you're**_, _**its**_ & _**it's**_, and _**their**_ & _**they're**_ & _**there**_, and where you use each word._

**Your – **"Your" is used to describe possession. _(Ex. Your autographed football, your pickles and penguins)  
_**You're – **"You're" is a contraction that combines the words "you" and "are." To keep things simple, you only use "you're" when substituting "you are." _(Ex. You're a jerk, you're a beautiful ray of sunshine in the sky)_

**Your/You're Activity  
**_Substitute the correct homophone into each blank._

"Sokka!" Summer cried. "_ on fire!"

"_ my favorite reviewer!" Summer lied.

"Look, Zuko!" Azula pointed off into the distance. "It's _ honor!"

"Sokka, _ my favorite FCP member," Ellie grimaced.

_ Foo Foo Cuddly Poops is missing!

**Its – **"Its" shows possession _(Ex. A cave hopper is known for its delicacy)  
_**It's – **"It's" is another contraction, but it combines the words "it" and "is" or "it" and "has." _(Ex. It's such a beautiful and fantastical day today, It's been so long since the last Summer's Day chapter!)_

**Its/It's Activity**

"Oh, _ only one o'clock in the morning!" Fyre beamed.

"I saw 'The Last Airbender' in _ production week," Linda bragged.

"_ time to go, Summer." Ben gritted his teeth. 

**Their – **"Their" is plural possessive. _(Ex. Their monkey bit me! I'm going to banish their sorry butts to a hole.)  
_**They're – **"They're" is a contraction combining "they" and "are." _(Ex. They're all mean to me! They're going to Ember Island this summer.)  
_**There – **"There" indicates a location. _(Ex. There your boomerang is, Sokka. There must be somewhere to eat meat around here…)_

**Their/They're/There Activity**

"_ watching _The Last Airbender_," Fyre warned. "You might not want to go in _."

"_'s my honor!" Zuko cried. "I was wondering where it went…"

_ intelligent minds could not fathom why Summer put a homophones lesson in her creativity chapter.

* * *

"And back to creativity!" Sokka interrupted. "Summer, don't you have one more list?"

"Please tell me I came near the end of the chapter," Ben said. "How many more lists do I have to go through?"

"Hey!" Summer yelled. "Some people happened to like my lists." Her eyes wandered for a minute. "Right, Fyre?" Fyre was busy chasing a random butterfly and complaining about how it was impossibe for cheerleading outfits to be so pink.

"Just get on with it," Ty Lee urged.

"Okay," Summer said. "So, I'm sure most of my readers only read this chapter because they have writers block and are trying to figure out some new ideas. Well, if you're looking for some story ideas to try out, I strongly suggest going to Fyre's story, _Fyre's Guide to Creativity_, which has a boatload of story prompts. However, I will give you a few things to keep your juices flowing."

* * *

**Random Things to Write About When Your Pen Refuses to Write Anything Interesting  
**_Who knows, maybe you'll like what you wrote so much that you'll put it into a future story!  
These are even more fun to do in a group! And it's even MORE fun if the entire group is having writers' block! Tips on how to have successful writing groups come with each exercise._

Go somewhere that makes you happy, like the park, your school (Ha! Ha! I know, I'm laughing too), a friends house, a coffee shop, or even your room. Describe EVERYTHING. Use your five senses and put that pen to paper. This exercise will help you describe **settings** in your story.  
**Writing Group Tip: To experiment, have each member write about the same place and compare.**

Visualize someone who you feel very strongly about. Your feelings can be strongly positive or negative. Now draw a picture of them with your words. No, not literally, I mean write about their physical appearance, their personality traits, everything that you know about them and like/hate about them. This exercise will assist you in **developing your characters**.  
**Writing Group Tip: Have each member describe someone in the group. Make sure that everybody likes each other or things might get ugly – which reminds me, I am not responsible for anything that goes on in your writing group, I only provided prompts. **

When was the last time you cried? Was it because you laughed so hard that tears streamed from your eyes, or was it because someone hurt you so badly that you couldn't think of anything else to do? Tell your invisible audience the feelings you bottled up inside or the things that happened to you physically. This exercise will help you **spark feelings** into your pieces.  
**Writing Group Tip: After completing this exercise, see if the audience can sum up your piece in a single word. Go around the circle, and if you're pleased with what you hear, give yourself a pat on the back!**

Think of a conversation you had with someone today. Now, recreate it to the best of your ability on paper from the other person's point of view. What mannerisms did they notice about you? Give reasons behind the actions that they committed. Also, try to make the dialogue as realistic and true to life as you can. If possible, show the other person your scene and see how close you got! This exercise will help keep your **dialogue and scenes lifelike**.  
**Writing Group Tip: It would be so fun if you wrote about someone everyone in the writing group knows, so that they could relate. Lots of "they would totally do that!" moments guaranteed.**

Tell me the story of your life. Too long? Then tell me the story of this last year. Do you realize what you did when you wrote it? You picked out the important events (or at least the events that were important to you) and skimmed over some of the not so exciting things. This exercise will help you develop a **good-paced and interesting plot**.  
**Writing Group Tip: This exercise will take a while, so it'd be best not to do in a writing group. However, it could be an activity you take home and bring back completed the next time you get together.**

* * *

"But seriously, guys," Summer said. "I'm not going to spoon feed you a story to write, and I think you know that, because my readers/fellow aspiring authors are the most intelligent people on the planet. The writing process is an unpredictable, beautiful thing, and being creative is just part of the job. I mean… do you want to see my writing process?"

* * *

_1. Open Microsoft Word.  
2. Stare into space for a good ten minutes.  
3. Open emails and reply to FanFiction PMs.  
4. Tell myself to focus and go back into Microsoft Word.  
5. Watch blinking cursor for a good two minutes.  
6. Decide to open up something I already wrote to edit.  
7. Edit for a while and then get bored.  
8. Get hungry.  
9. Get a snack and then come back to empty page.  
10. Repeat steps 1-9 until something comes to me!_

* * *

"That was most impressive…" Fyre drawled sarcastically.

"Actually, I thought it was pretty funny," Ben said.

Sokka rolled his eyes, turned to Ty Lee, and whispered, "Now she's going to say, 'My lovely readers, I would love to know what_ your_ writing process is.'" Ty Lee laughed at Sokka's accurate impersonation.

"Now, my lovely readers, I would love to know what _your_ writing process is." Summer smiled to her invisible audience, and Sokka choked back a laugh. "So, if you can think of nothing to review, then make up your own. Particularly funny ones will be posted in a future chapter."

"Yay, chapter over," Ben said quickly, tossing Fyre his football. "Time to get changed before - "

"Hey! We were looking all over for you!" A group of teenage boys approached the group. Fyre squeaked in terror, shoved the football into Ben's arms, and then hid behind him.

"Are these your football friends you were talking about, Ben?" Summer asked. Ben nodded stiffly as Summer introduced herself and shook their hands one by one. Ben blushed almost as pink as his pants.

"See, I told you it was Ben and Fyre, but you didn't believe me!" one of the boys said.

"I didn't think Fyre would be caught dead wearing pink…" another boy said.

"Well, you thought wrong," Ben said. Fyre slapped him.

Suddenly, there was a small flash of light, and all heads turned. Sokka stood there innocently with a camera aimed at Fyre and Ben. Fyre's face turned red, and she angrily ran after Sokka, who jubilantly pranced around the football field screaming in delight.

Ben glanced back at his team members and then at Summer, who smiled sweetly, waved her pom poms, and said, "So… who's up for some football?"

* * *

**Sokka: Did I say four lists in the last authors note? I meant EIGHT. And I'm selling the snapshot I took of Ben and Fyre on eBay for a hundred dollars, by the way, for whichever one of you lovely **_Summer's Day_** readers would like that beautiful portrait.**

**Summer: Go away, Sokka, before Fyre kills you. Anyway, thank you so much for reading. Tune in next time for a lesson on characters and crybabies starring Fyre Elaine. My readers get hugs, my reviewers get smiles, and my reviewers who review based off the prompt get cookies. Haha, see you next time! **


	11. Characterization - Azula

**Note: For the record, this chapter was written by Fyre (and edited by Summer). If you absolutely love Fyre's writing style (which I'm sure you will), check out her fantabulous story, **_Fyre's Guide to Creativity_**!  
****But of course, the lists that this chapter features are mine.**

**Special thanks to:** _Mai4eternity, Random Reader, iWriteStuff202, Sleeping Kangaroo, GrayShoedWonder, Panakin, Forever Fyre, purpleexplodingbananas, Olive Pizza, randomanonomousgirl, mike50333, yourheartspeaksthetruth, Justice333, _**and **_azulafan025 artisticallycreates _ **for reviewing so wonderfully. *cheers for you* Thank you so much for your time; it means the world to me.**

* * *

**The Characters and the Crybabies**

Azula _hated_ climbing in rooms through windows.

She learned that the hard way when she snagged her shirt, fell to the floor, and managed to stub her toe on the metal day-bed that was strategically placed right in front of the window. She started to mumble something about how the FCP wasn't worth it when she heard a loud, somewhat annoying laugh coming from the next room over. She moved to the wall to try and figure out what they were laughing about. Her brow furrowed as she was able to make out a girl's voice.

"What are you talking about?" a giggly voice said. "You're so weird! Ugh, hang on. I'm gonna put you on speaker... There you go. You don't know how hard it is to paint your nails upside-down."

Azula slapped her forehead as another voice entered the picture. "Why are you painting your nails?"

"Red paint, duh!"

"Oh yeah, you stopped biting your nails. I hope you realize they probably already casted all the roles... if they decide to make another one." She paused. "How could you even buy that movie? It was terrible!"

"Because I need humor in my life."

"And I am...?"

"That_ thing_."

Azula didn't even try to figure out what she meant, as she was quickly growing bored with the pointless conversation. She turned the corner and entered the shadows of the too-colorful-for-Azula's-taste room. The walls were lime green, the rugs hot pink, and the bedspreads turquoise. There were several posters on the walls, most of which were tie-dye, though the one that caught Azula's eye was the poster that had come with the _Sozin's Comet_ book _Nickelodeon_ had released.

There was one more thing in the room that somewhat disturbed Azula; the girl who was dangling upside-down from her bed with a telephone placed by one ear and a bottle of red nail-polish in her hand. She had long dark hair that pulled up into pigtails, making the thirteen-year-old look even younger than she was. She wore tennis shoes and denim shorts, and she appeared to have had too much sugar in her cereal. Azula cringed slightly as the girl giggled and continued the conversation.

"I don't know. I might make a good Ty Lee."

The blue-fire-bender gagged as the girl's friend on the phone sighed. "Not flexible enough," she said.

"Pana, I'm standing on my head."

The other girl – Pana – paused for a moment. "Fyre, you're crazy."

Azula's eyes widened. This... _psychopath_… was the _thing_ she was supposed to be teaching? Why did Summer have to torture her with the weird ones? Mai got that perfectly normal boy, Zuko got that somewhat normal girl, but this kid was off the charts of "normal."

The girl's eyes turned to Azula. She paused for a moment, staring at Azula like she was thin air.

"Panakin," she said calmly. "I'm gonna have to call you back. I'm either asleep at the moment, or the coolest person ever is in my room."

"Robert Pattinson?"

Fyre looked like she had just eaten a lemon. "What? No! Look, I'll call you back." Fyre hung up the phone and swung herself up, so she was sitting on her bed facing the wall. She spun around to face Azula, who looked to be extremely confused. Based on Summer's notes, this girl should have been freaking out right now. But instead, she stood up, yawned, and made her way over to Azula, who she randomly pinched.

Azula jumped back and seized the girl's hand. "What was that for, kid?" she snapped.

"Oh, just testing to see if you were real." Her head tilted to the left, causing her right pigtail to smack her in the cheek. She then – very unexpectedly –jumped up in the air like a five-year-old, squealing with delight. This made Azula even more uncomfortable. "Take THAT, world!" Fyre squealed. Azula took a step back.

"Uh-huh," Azula said, looking terrified and confused all at once. The girl was now running back and forth squealing and jumping up and down, until she tripped over thin air and fell face first on her floor. Azula cringed lightly and stepped over her hyperventilating body. "Um, do you have a phone?" she asked, bending over to look at her.

Fyre gave a kooky smile and pointed to her peace-sign-pillow. "Under the pillow."

Azula groaned and poked at the pillow until it fell over. She gripped the cell phone and dialed Summer's number.

"Hello?"

"Summer?" Azula asked, staring in horror at Fyre's demon-possessed cat, which had walked into the room as she dialed. The cat bit Fyre's nose and wandered off without even a 'meow' to Azula. She was somewhat happy about that, though.

"Hi, Azula! Did you find Fyre?" Summer's cheery voice came through the phone.

Azula narrowed her eyes. "I found... something. Is Fyre..."

"Insane?"

"Uh, yeah. She's lying on the floor, foaming at the mouth, hyperventilating… and singing oldies music?" Azula walked over and checked Fyre's pulse. It was somewhere near that of a hummingbird-butterfly.

Summer paused for a moment, as if deep in thought. "Is there caffeine or sugar anywhere nearby?" she asked gravelly.

Azula glanced around the bright room. Her gaze landed on a Cherry Dr. Pepper. "Um, yeah. Cherry flavored caffeine."

"Ohhh." Summer drawled out the word. "Sorry Azula, she does that. She has ADHD, or something. Just try to unlock her dangerous side. She'll break out of the crazy spell if you do that." Azula could just sense Summer shrugging.

Azula sighed and hung up, before realizing, "This isn't the dangerous side?" She walked over to Fyre's body and nudged her slightly. "Well, I guess I'll be going..."

"What?" Fyre jumped up. "NO! You can't leave! Not yet! I have questions!" Fyre dashed to her closet, which was filled with books, clothes, and DVD's. They all fell on top of Fyre. She grabbed all of her Avatar books and DVD's - there were a lot of them - and ran over to Azula, who had never been so speechless before in her life.

"Okay, so in the Avatar world, do they have, like, hybrid fruit? I mean, I know they have hybrid animals... What is with that anyways? Why don't you have a last name? I mean, Toph does, and she's just a rich kid. And how old is Zuko? I mean, he was thirteen when he was banished and there was that whole 'three year anniversary' thing, but this book here says that he's seventeen. Oh, and - "

Azula grabbed Fyre's tongue, burnt it, grabbed a tie-dye poster off the wall, burnt that, and watched in horror as Fyre scooped up the ashes, placed them in a bag, and hugged it.

"And people think _I'm _crazy..." Azula whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose and trying to keep herself calm. Unfortunately, she had made a deal with Zuzu to be in this stupid 'FCP' thing; be good, or go back to the crazy house. Though right now, she felt a bit like she was in the crazy house.

Azula stuck her arm out in front of Fyre, causing her to stop running and look up at her, smiling wide. 'Fyre, sweetie?" Azula placed her arms on the younger girl's shoulders. Fyre nodded rapidly. "You're going to need to calm down. . ."

"Cam howl?" Fyre's burnt tongue attempted to say.

Azula's eye twitched as her friendly smile turned into a terrifying frown, and her eyes went from as calm as she could muster to a deadly glare. "OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" Azula shrieked. "COULD YOU BE MORE OBSESSED?"

"Um... no?"

Azula slapped her forehead. "Okay, I can handle this. Summer for once had lists that may come in handy here."

"Lealy?" Fyre raised an eyebrow. Azula glared at her. "Okay, okay! So, I can talk normal with a burnt tongue. Comedic relief, you know?"

"You need this list more than most authors do."

* * *

**How to Develop Your Characters**

**1. Reflection** - a character's own thoughts on certain matters.

**2. Dialogue** - can develop two characters at once! What a deal!

**3. Actions** - the way your characters do things can say a lot about their personality.

**4. Flashback** - the past can definitely reveal a lot.

**5. Reaction **- certain things tick them off or make them excited. Find out what.

**6. Other Characters **- what type of characters bug them/bring out the best in them?

**7. Quirks** - Twirling their hair/tapping their foot/playing with their pencil/etc.

**8. Intimate Setting **- a place that sparks strong emotions in your character.

**9. Beloved Object/Pet **- use your imagination for this one and think of something striking.

**10. Emails/Letters, etc. **- I don't recommend using these in FanFiction, but this is helpful in original works.

* * *

"Okay. . .so what? That doesn't tell me much. I mean, yeah, characters need to have character, but it's kind of a cliffhanger, I mean, what do you - "

"Develop in your characters?" Azula shrugged, holding up the next list. "I swear, you and Summer have the same brain."

"Nah. Summer has some sanity left in her."

"Seriously, pay attention here."

* * *

**Things ****You Should Develop in Characters**

**1. Appearance** - You want your readers to imagine your characters the way you do. They need a solid physical description.  
-Hair (color/length/texture)  
-Eyes (size/color)  
-Skin (tone/nationality)  
-Height/Weight

**2. Beliefs and Views**:  
-Cussing - Do they tolerate it?  
-Cruelty - Do they do it or stand up to it?  
-Religion - Do they go by any religious values or principles?

**3. Goals:  
** -What do they hope to accomplish in the future?  
-Do they accomplish this in your story?

**4. Impact of Others - **Family and friends, what affects them?  
In plain words…  
-What makes them happy?  
-What makes them sad?  
-What makes them angry?  
In terms of people…  
-Who makes them happiest?  
-Who frustrates them the most?  
-Who angers them?

_**Note:**__ Here's a fun way to learn who your characters are. Interview them. Sit down and have a nice long chat about their lives. After all, if you're going to write about them, then you need to know all you can! Sample interview questions and more information on this matter are on my (Sun Daughter) profile. Go check them out!_

* * *

"OUCH. What was that for?" Fyre suddenly yelled.

Azula innocently pulled her hand away from Fyre's wrist, which now had a brand new burn. "It's called fire, Fyre." Azula stopped to scratch her head awkwardly. Fyre just stared. "Well, Summer told me something about characters, blah blah blah, something about flames, and then something along the lines of Sokka is dead to her. Anyhow, I thought I'd burn you so we could get this chapter over with."

Fyre rolled her eyes, "Are you sure she wasn't talking about Review Flames?"

"Oh yes. I remember those from when I had that lesson with Linda about reviews. Aren't those reviews that tell you how horrifying your story is?" Azula smiled at the thought of herself flaming people's stories.

Fyre sighed. "Yeah, pretty much. I have seen far too many Fanfiction authors who give up their story or write a hate letter just because of one bad review they got. I mean, if people could just act their age - " Azula raised an eyebrow at her, pigtails and all. " - then we could have FFN world peace."

"Wow. Summer forgot to mention you like to babble about nothing," Azula grumbled.

Fyre pouted. "It's not nothing! Some flames get out of control and seriously hurt people's feelings, and it's normally because the author overreacted about it." Fyre's eyes went to the huge pile of lists next to her favorite character. She leaned in and grabbed one of the lists on top and read it. "Man, Summer and I are freaky."

* * *

**How to Deal With a Flame/Harsh Review**

1. Calm Down  
-DO NOT revenge flame.  
-DO NOT throw a tantrum in your next chapter or on your profile  
-DO NOT send back a nasty reply. They will laugh.  
-DO walk away from the computer if you need to. It's better than doing something you'll regret later.

2. Once you can think clearly, read your whole review over again.  
-Understand what the reviewer did not like.  
-If they were just mean (i.e. they didn't give a reason for not liking it), skip to step four.

3. If you're feeling gutsy, send back a reply thanking them for voicing their opinion.

4. CHECKLIST: Did your story deserve to be flamed?

**General:**  
O You capitalized all your I's and the first word in each sentence.  
O Your dialogue has a comma at the end of the line if a "he said," "she said," or another variation of such follows.  
O There are no run-on sentences.  
O Your sentence structure is not too repetitive.

**Summary/Title/Author Notes:**  
O Your summary actually relates to your story.  
O Summary does not contain "this is lyk my first fanfic so no flames!1!"  
O Spelling and grammar is correct.  
O The summary makes people want to read it.  
O The title is not cliché.  
O The title is not ridiculously long and confusing.  
O It relates to your story directly or indirectly.  
O It's clear where your author's note begins and ends.  
O There are no author's notes within the actual story.  
O Your author's note does not beg for reviews. Asking is fine. Begging is not, and threatening not to update until you reach a certain number of reviews is not attractive in the least.  
O It does not contain too many exclamation points.

**The Content:**

O You use correct spelling and grammar skills.  
O Your character's actions are detailed, not just "Susan picked up the cup. She screamed. She was poisoned. She died a horrible death. Just kidding." Really, have you gotten to the part where I die yawning yet?  
O There are no Mary Sues.  
O There is detail about the setting.  
O All the canon characters are in character.  
O There is an actual plot.

_**Note: **__If you still feel you did not deserve to be flamed, you are welcome to politely ask the reviewer for an explanation. As long as you're polite and the reviewer isn't a naturally cruel-hearted person, then you will get your answer. Part of being an author is being open to constructive criticism. More information on the difference between a flame and critique is in Chapter Seven._

* * *

"Is that everything?" Azula asked impatiently.

Fyre shrugged. "Unless Summer has something to add when she burns this chapter to the ground, nope."

"GOOD! I'm leaving!" Azula jumped up and ran swung open Fyre's door, only to find a panting Twilight lover doubled over on the ground.

"Where's… Robert?" she breathed.

* * *

**Sokka: I want to thank all of you who bid on the picture of Ben and Fyre in cheerleading outfits. As it turns out,****Panakin (a.k.a. panting Twilight lover doubled over on the ground) bought that picture, and it is displayed proudly on her wall.**

_As for a sneak peak of the next chapter… _**Aang will be hosting it, and he will be teaching Miss Mikyla Aron how to add more detail into your stories.  
**_As for a review prompt…_** If you could host a **_Summer's Day_** lesson, where would you host it? Your front lawn? The moon? Mount Olympus? The best answer (that Summer can actually write) will be where Aang teaches his lesson in the next chapter.**


	12. Description - Aang

**Sokka: Summer started the chapter. Summer never finished the chapter. Someone had to pay respect to **_Summer's Day _**readers and update. You're welcome.**

**Special thanks to: **_BlueStripedPolo, I-Am-My-Own-Biggest-Mystery, TheCresantMoonWolf, __Bokmal14, Sleeping Kangaroo, Melody Sparrow, limegreenwordmachine, GrayShoedWonder, Justice333_**, **_Anon,__Irako of the Desert, yourheartspeaksthetruth,__Daughter of the sea,__deaths lovely nightmare, TheNightFury, Julie319, _**and**_ 3Idiots_**. Your reviews are much appreciated and are the reason I stick with this story at all!**

* * *

**The Adventures of Avatar and Vague Girl**

Mikyla opened her eyes.

And she screamed.

"Where am I?" she hollered into nothingness.

White surrounded her on all sides, and she wasn't even sure if she was standing. Her stomach lurched as she stared into the empty white space.

"Anyone there?" she tried again, but her voice echoed throughout the vacant area. "How did I even– " she began.

"Hi, Mikyla!" Aang greeted her cheerfully, popping out of nowhere wearing a black hoodie and jeans. Mikyla screamed again in surprise, but she got a grip of herself once she recognized who it was. She tried to hide her secret love for the character.

"Aang, thank goodness," she sighed calmly, feeling relieved to see a familiar face. "Where the heck are we? How did I get here?"

"Mikyla, welcome to the world that a vague author creates," Aang said, spreading his arms wide and effortlessly somersaulted in mid-air. This was when Mikyla realized that he was floating. She realized that she was floating too. And she screamed again.

"How did I get here?!" she shrieked, beginning to panic. Her caramel-colored hair stuck out in all directions and floated freely, like there was no gravity. She desperately tried to doggy-paddle to a nonexistent surface.

"The real question is _why_ are you here. And that's an easy one to answer," Aang replied. "You are being featured in a chapter of _Summer's Day_, and the lesson I am going to teach you today is how to be a more descriptive writer. Not to worry, though," he assured her, touching her shoulder when she began to hyperventilate. "As we describe more, you will be brought back to reality. At least that's what Summer told me." She nearly fainted.

"Okay, okay, so we _can_ get out of here if I describe more," she reassured quickly. "Um, Aang and I were inside of Buckingham Palace. The walls were really tall, and it was fancy and stuff. It's in Britain, I think, so that means there will be there all these annoying smart people with fancy accents and crumpets. Poof. Appear, Buckingham Palace!" she shouted.

However, much to her dismay, Buckingham Palace did not appear out of midair.

"Okay, why isn't Buckingham Palace appearing?!"

"Mikyla… Is there any specific reason you wanted to go to Buckingham Palace?" Aang asked slowly.

"It was just kind of the first thing that popped into my head," she said. "I think I might have read it in a review somewhere…"

"Well, that's a really cool idea," Aang agreed. "But Summer's already decided to use Buckingham Palace in another chapter. Hopefully one where Sokka isn't teaching the lesson," he added. Mikyla shivered, imagining how Sokka could very easily destroy Buckingham, especially if he was teaching Ellie or Ben or Fyre… The thought of Sokka teaching Fyre made her whole body shake. The world might explode.

"I take it that you already have a lesson plan for me?" Mikyla questioned, changing the subject. Aang raised his pointer finger as he floated upside down. If he had hair, it would have been free-falling.

"First things first," he said. "I have a list of things that you should describe in your story."

"Hurry up. I don't know how much more I can take of this. I get sick in cars, and airplanes, and…" Mikyla's face looked a little green, and Aang quickly began reading the list.

* * *

**Things to Describe in Your Story**

**Setting**

The importance of the setting is the make sure your audience understand your exact mental picture. What would you want to know about the setting as a reader? What does the place initially appear like visually? What does it smell like? Keep in mind, though, that it's very easy to go overboard with setting. Likewise, it's also very easy to not have enough.

**Characters  
**  
This goes hand-in-hand with character development. Physical appearances as well as emotional drives are a must. Don't be too vague with your characters unless a) they're really minor, or b) you're doing so purposefully. Characters with enough description are necessities to an enjoyable story. Otherwise, people won't invest their time to find out what happens to them.

**Actions**

When I say actions, I mean what your characters do as well as what everything else does. Use vivid language so the reader gets a clearer picture of what is going on. That is, after all, the purpose of description.

**Narrative**

Unless your story's completely composed of dialogue, there's going to be narrative. Narrative includes those sections without dialogue that are mainly used to transition between scenes and demonstrate passage of time. Without proper descriptive narrative, your audience is going to be confused and won't understand where the story's heading.

_Just remember that there _can_ be too much of a good thing. Describing too much of anything gets tiresome for the reader, and they can lose interest quickly. Striking the correct balance between description and vagueness is difficult, which is why Aang will enlighten you with another worksheet…_

* * *

"Ew! What's that?!" Aang demanded, trying to paddle through the air, away from a floating squishy-looking substance. It was tinted green and the texture reminded Aang of wet Moon Sand.

"Tell Summer to stop describing my barf!" Mikyla demanded, her cheeks flushing pink.

But Summer would not stop describing her barf.

Aang released a queer noise that told Mikyla he was thoroughly grossed out.

"Can I start describing yet?" she asked. "I need to get out of here."

"I actually have one more worksheet to show you before we start formulating a setting. This involves striking the perfect balance between description and vagueness."

"Just get on with it," Mikyla pleaded.

* * *

**Too Much, Too Little, Just Right**

_This worksheet gives you some extreme examples of too much description, too little, and then it supplies you with how much would be just right using each of the examples in the previous list._

_Setting  
_**  
Too little: **It was raining.  
**Too much: **The H2O droplets that fell from the cool, murky air cascaded down various buildings and memorials and vehicles, and they landed in wet puddles of similar H2O atoms with a splash.**  
Just Right: **The heavy rain poured down in sheets over the house. Ear-splitting thunder cracked, rendering every attempt at sleep useless.

_Characters  
_**  
Too little: **She was a pretty Asian.**  
Too much: **Her smooth, ebony hair blew slightly in the soft breeze, spreading her sharp-scented perfume in the air particles around her; beautiful almond-shaped brown eyes, pale skin, and rose-colored lips made up her facial features, intriguing any guy she came across.**  
Just Right: ** The young woman had refined Asian features and silky black hair that entranced him immediately. _(Note: Don't forget, you can always describe your characters more as you go along!)_

_Actions  
_**  
Too little: **The man ran.**  
Too much: **This guy was moving his long legs at top speed and felt as though he were flying on air as he whisked past the buildings, feeling his pulse rushing and his mind racing, because there was no turning back, but he didn't know where he was going or when he'd return; he just knew that he was running.**  
Just Right: **His heart pounded as his feet made contact with the ground. He couldn't look back, not now, not ever.

* * *

"Okay, okay," Mikyla said quickly. "Can I start describing now?"

Aang smiled. "Sure. Where do you want to go?"

"A JAPANESE SPA!" she blurted then calmed herself as to better describe her destination. "The room I'm imagining is full of employees that want you to be calm, and they are _very_ good at massaging." She paused, remembering one important fact as she saw her hair floating. "The spa also has gravity! Sweet gravity!"

"That's key, only not completely necessary when you're writing a story," Aang noted, winking.

Mikyla continued, "I imagine that this spa is someplace Iroh would love to spend his time. In fact, let's say that he _owns_ this spa, so it must be relaxing and welcoming. Also, Aang and I have already paid for our spa treatment, so we are in the middle of our appointment."

"It's working, Mikyla!" he exclaimed. "And Summer said I was nuts for not believing her."

"Well, this is a story, right? Anything can happen," she pointed out.

Slowly, the Japanese spa began to appear before Mikyla and Aang like she had described. The two were overwhelmed with a steamy rush of air as bamboo-styled walls enclosed them in a comfortably warm room. A pair of Asian ladies appeared at their feet and began to massage them. Mikyla looked down and saw she was sitting in a comfortable

"Now that we can actually sit down, let's take a look at our fanmail," Aang said. Mikyla peered over his shoulder as he pulled out some letters that were apparently in the back pocket of his towel.

"We get fanmail?" Mikyla asked.

"We get reviews," Aang replied, then made a face as the woman massaging his feet squeezed. "And a few chapters back, in the chapter that Ty lee hosted, Summer prompted her readers to tell her their writing processes. A few of them are very entertaining, like this one from _Mai4eternity_."

_1. Get hit with a random idea while doing math.  
2. Forget what it's about before writing it down.  
3. Frantically attempt to remember it two days later.  
4. Give up and do math.  
5. End up writing something new in the margins._

"I hate it when I forget my idea before I can write it down." Mikyla buried her face in her hands. "It's so frustrating! I feel your pain, _Mai4eternity_!" Aang raised an eyebrow but decided not to say anything as Mikyla continued talking to an invisible therapist about her problems. Instead, he spread the rest of the letters out on the table.

"Oh, I _love_ this one. It sounds just like Summer." Aang picked up a writing process given in a review by _Sleeping Kangaroo_.

_1. I open up my notebook, stare at an empty page, then shut it.  
2. I then turn on the radio and wait.  
3. Sooner or later (later meaning around 10:00) I will be struck by a BURST of inspiration to write something I've been putting off for weeks.  
4. I will write late into the night.  
5. When I finally run out of inspiration, I wait, then repeat steps 1 and 2 till I get my inspiration._

Mikyla began rummaging through the various writing processes excitedly. Then suddenly she began to laugh at one from _randomanonymousgirl_, and Aang peaked at the paper as she read it aloud.

_1) Get random inspiration. From something. Somewhere. Maybe staring at a wall.  
2) Get excited and start writing.  
3) Get interrupted about a third of the way through.  
4) Come back to it later and wonder, "what was I planning, exactly?"  
5) Read what I have so far and realize I love it and hate it at the same time.  
6) find a sentence I don't like and edit it a million times.  
7) Repeat step 6 with a couple of different sentences until either satisfied of bored.  
8) Possibly add on a bit to the end. Possibly.  
9) get interrupted or bored and do something else.  
10) Eventually end up back at step four, and hopefully finish it in the next several years._

"I always get inspiration from staring at a wall!" Mikyla exclaimed, raising her hands to the sky. "What else do we have?" she asked Aang happily. Aang picked up a list, but it wasn't a writing process; it was directions from Summer.

"Unfortunately, we only have room for one more writing process," he said. "But, for those of you who did not get featured in this chapter, the remaining processes are on Summer's profile! We would like to thank everyone for their submissions**: **_**Mai4eternity, Sleeping Kangaroo, GrayShoed Wonder, purpleexplodingbananas, randomanonymousgirl, Justice333, Irako of the Desert, deaths lovely nightmare**__._ If you have some time, people, go check them out. I guarantee you that they will make you smile. If not… then your funny bone may need a check-up," Aang said lightly.

"Why do people call it the funny bone anyways?" Mikyla asked. "When you bang it, it hurts _so _badly."

"I have no idea," Aang replied.

"Anyways, what's our last writing process?" she questioned, reaching for the last paper in Aang's hand.

"This," Aang said. "It's from _purpleexplodingbananas_… And besides, the username is just too epic. We couldn't _not_ feature this one."

_1. Get a random idea for one of my stories or a new story while browsing the web or something.  
2. Open a document.  
3. Type the first sentence, then backspace it.  
4. Type something else, then backspace it.  
5. Repeat step 4 a few times, then eventually type what I originally started with.  
6. Forget my idea and close the document and open something else.  
7. Attempt to write something, but get bored and open Paint.  
8. Scribble for a while, then open my document for my novel.  
9. Get a spontaneous awesome idea for my novel and attempt to incorporate it into the plan.  
10. Go grab a snack or something.  
11. Start randomly browsing the web.  
12. Go back to Step 1. :)_

"Well, this was really exciting," Mikyla said happily. "I got to experience a magical no-gravity room, learn how to describe things better, and eat cucumbers."

"You know those cucumbers were supposed to go… er, nevermind." Aang decided against it and went back to the remaining fanmail. He shuffled through a few papers. "Well, I guess that wraps up our chapter," he told her.

"Can I get a sneak peak of the next chapter?" Mikyla put on her best puppy dog face.

"I'm not in it, so I have no idea what's going on in it," Aang said, "but Sokka does. And he's going to give you a sneak peak in the Author's Note, right…"

* * *

**Here.**

_As for a sneak peak of the next chapter…_ **Another **_SD: Filler_** is next. I hate it.  
**_As for a review prompt… _** If you could pair each fan (Summer, Ellie, Linda, Ben, Fyre, Mikyla) with an Avatar character, who would it be? All couples will be featured on Summer's profile with character commentary.**

**The next chapter will be posted on December 9th****. Make sure you come back and read it!**


	13. SD FILLER: How to Write a Kissing Scene

**You wouldn't believe how many of you want romance, even in this instructional piece. I guess you waited long enough. You can argue there's no lesson in this chapter, but sometimes the best lessons are taught through example. :) Enjoy the crowd pleaser.**

**Three Notes  
**  
(1) Our reviewers' chosen couples are now on Summer's profile with character commentary.  
(2) There will be 20 chapters of _Summer's Day_ total.  
(3) My _Save the Fandom_ community is #4 out of over 300 Avatar communities! Thank you! :D

**Special thanks to:**_WhiteAsukalover, Forever Fyre, music4evah, TheCresantMoonWolf, SpiritWolf14, Justice333, I-Am-My-Own-Biggest-Mystery, Sleeping Kangaroo, Irako of the Desert, DAve and Bob. _**The greatest reviewers in the world. Thanks for helping me get back on my feet.  
**_**  
Warning:**__ Themes in this chapter are not appropriate for those who believe in cooties. Be warned._

* * *

**SD Filler: How to Write a Kissing Scene**

"It wasn't _that_ difficult coming up with the FCP," Summer Dae told her friend Ben McCoy. "It just sort of came to me one day."

"It was more creative than anything I could ever come up with," he mused, and she snorted in response.

"So, Ty Lee's creativity lesson had no impact on you whatsoever? Speaking of which, I forgot to ask, did you learn a lot from Mai?"

It was nearing sunset, and the pair was sitting on a wooden bench outside the movie theatre across from their favorite coffee shop. In response her question, Ben choked back what sounded like a mix between a laugh and a cough. However, his expression remained neutral.

"I guess," he said at last, still feeling humiliated about what had actually happened. He could still hear Mai's words echoing in his head: _I'm sure your girlfriend will appreciate this._ Ben _had _been fifteen minutes late to the movie they were supposed to see and the tickets had ended up selling out in that time period. At least it wasn't forty minutes like his appointment with Mai; he was getting better. That's what he told himself anyway.

"What did she teach you? Did she use my lists?" Summer persisted a little too hopefully, an excited grin on her face.

"Why are you so interested?" he asked lazily, leaning back and placing his hands behind his head.

"Because I matched you up."

"Nice match," he returned, his voice turning a little frosty. "Why do you need to know what went on? I don't get any privacy with this?"

"Well, I'm pretty much in charge of whether something goes on the Internet or remains in the depths of my computer, but if you want it that way, you don't have to tell me. I'll just ask Mai instead…" Ben's eyes bulged, and he sat up straight.

"No. I did learn a lot. It was really interesting," he said quickly and a lot more nicely.

"I was just teasing," Summer said, touching his hand. Her fingers tingled and her stomach filled with butterflies. She quickly pulled away and looked down at the ground. She grabbed a strand of her hair and began to twirl it around her finger. Luckily, Ben didn't seem to notice.

"You know, it's been a while since we've actually sat down like this and talked," he said casually. "We did this every day that one month you took a break…" Ben was trying to make eye contact, but Summer refused to meet his gaze. Instead, she looked up at the fluffy clouds that were gradually turning to a gorgeous sunset. When she didn't reply, he continued, "So, what's been going on? What have you been doing? Other than the FCP and all that, I mean."

"I don't know. I've been busy. What about you?"

"That's not an answer."

Her face twisted at his unexpected reply.

"It is too an answer! What are you looking for, a detailed documentary about these last few weeks?"

He laughed, which made her lips twitch to a slight frown.

"You're so defensive sometimes, Summer, I swear," he continued laughing. He was enjoying himself so much that Summer couldn't help but crack a smile. However, his comment about her being defensive reminded her of someone else who was a little too defensive…

"I'm sorry about Sokka," she said abruptly, and Ben stopped laughing. A frown quickly replaced his radiant smile.

"How did I even end up in that hole anyway?" he asked, his voice full of genuine curiosity.

"Well… I think that when Sokka hacked my computer, he became the writer and had the power to change whatever he liked. The power of being an author, I guess, allowed him to alter the fictional universe that I created." Ben blinked and she sighed. "Summer is writer. Writer controls characters. Sokka became writer after Sokka hacked computer. Sokka banished Ben to hole. Ben is character in Summer's story. Ben was banished to hole. Capishe?"

Ben began laughing again, and Summer cracked a smile.

"Now I understand," he said between laughs. "I'm sorry, I'm no writer. I don't have any experience with good word choices and what not."

"You should become a writer. The job is fun enough, and FanFiction is absolutely addicting." She sighed. "It's taking over my life."

"No kidding," he replied in a monotone voice, and Summer took the hint. She began to feel a little guilty for those weeks she hadn't gone out of her way to get in touch with Ben. This was the first time they'd seen each other since Ben had interrupted her creativity lesson with Ty Lee. Sensing his irritation, she made a quick decision to be bold.

"Would you rather I spend more time with you?" she asked flirtatiously, and his expression immediately became calmer.

"It wouldn't hurt, would it?" Summer turned away so Ben could not see her blushing furiously.

Silence followed as they both watched people walking around the shopping center. The sky's light sunset colors were slowly darkening. They sat in silence for five minutes. Five minutes in which Summer's head was buzzing with anxious "_Does he like me or not?"_ thoughts. A slight breeze began to blow, and Summer scooted closer to Ben on the bench.

Deciding to do a very cliché move, Ben casually stretched his arms upward and relaxed his left arm around her shoulder. The butterflies in Summer's stomach went into overdrive, making her feel sick with flirty anticipation. So, maybe he _did_ like her back. She relaxed her head on his strong shoulder, memories flooding through her like a dam that had been broken. Every new thought of the times they had spent together brought a new smile to her face.

"You know, Miss Dae, you are one of the most conflicting people I've ever met," he said quietly, though his intonation was light and humorous.

"What do you mean by that?" She was smiling now. The crowds around them were growing, since the movie theatre was a popular site for teenagers on a Saturday evening.

"Your attitude is so diplomatic when you want it to be. Then other times, you're so completely high strung it drives me mad." Even though Summer couldn't see his expression, she knew he was smiling; it was embedded in his voice. "And what did Sokka mean when he said that I was a complete Gary Stu?" She frowned and was hoping that this question wouldn't come up.

"You have a wonderful life and a wonderful role in my story. You always know what to say to everything. You're clumsy and tardy - sad attempts at fatal flaws - and you're attractive," she replied. She already had the list in her head before she had come to meet him that night. He only seemed to hear the last word of her explanation.

"You think I'm attractive?" he asked, giving a cunning smile and raising his eyebrows.

"I think you're very attractive…" she admitted. "But you're no Gary Stu, Mr. McCoy," she teased.

"Shouldn't Sokka be able to see that?" he questioned.

"He doesn't know you like I do."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"_I_ know your fatal flaw." His eyebrows rose.

"Oh, really…"

Before she could stop herself, she blurted it out immediately.

"You are the only guy on this entire planet who PMSes worse than Zuko." This was true, even tonight, and both of them knew it. Ben's mood had dramatically shifted at least five times in the last five minutes.

They began to laugh, and Summer snuggled closer to his warm body as the temperature became cooler. Ben's arm tightened around her shoulder, and the whole scene suddenly became a lot less awkward.

Summer racked her brain for something romantic to say, but nothing came to her. Ben, it appeared, since he was not saying anything, seemed to be at a loss for words as well. Still, there was no need to talk. All their emotions were laid out in their actions. Summer shifted her weight so she could look at Ben. His expression was unsettled and somewhat sad.

"What's wrong?" she asked, grasping his warm hand. She was not uneasy anymore, now knowing that he felt the same way. He looked down at her and smiled as if not wanting to burden her with his worries.

"Nothing," he replied quietly. She raised an eyebrow. "Just wondering why we didn't do this weeks ago." Summer knew that was definitely _not _why he was upset, but she decided not to press the issue.

"Do what?" she asked, almost positive she knew what was coming.

"This," he replied, leaning towards her.

_Crap! Crap! Crap,_ she thought,_ he's leaning right. That means I have to lean left… right? _Summer began blushing again and almost wanted to run away, but instead, she began to lean in herself. It was gradual, and soon, their lips scarcely touched. Ben ran a hand through her hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

The kiss was quick, and they were about to do it again when someone interrupted them.

"Get a room!" someone blurted out loudly. They lost their balance and snapped back to reality immediately. Summer recognized the voice instantly and spun around. Her face turned red in anger instead of embarrassment when she heard someone hush him.

"Sokka!" the voice shushed him, but it wasn't Ellie or Linda. Or even Fyre or Mikyla.

It was Zuko.

Summer stood abruptly and turned quick on her heals to see Zuko and Sokka both casually leaning against the wall next to the bench. Zuko looked slightly uncomfortable, and Sokka looked somewhere between annoyed and frightened.

"Zuko?" she asked angrily, a twinge of angry sadness overtook her voice. "Why?" she demanded. "Don't you know that this happens to be a very private moment in my life?!" Sokka didn't reply, but his eyes seemed to say, _So, that's why you chose to start smooching in the middle of the shopping centre, right?_

"Linda, Ellie, and Fyre were taking us to see a movie," Zuko explained. "You know, they don't have those in the four nations, and we wanted to go. Then Sokka insisted he saw Ben walking around and wanted to do some damage –"

"Did not!" Sokka complained, and Summer glared at him.

"I cannot tell a lie," Zuko said defensively, beginning to take note at how angry Summer was getting. Anger was bubbling in her chest, and it was taking every ounce of her self-control to keep from punching Sokka square in the face. Though, she didn't want to look bad in front of Ben either, now that they had finally… Well, nevermind.

Summer gritted her teeth to keep herself from losing her patience further. Ben stood up and joined her, and he began to rub her shoulder affectionately. This made her feel better, but she wasn't about to let Sokka know that.

"So, this is the famous Ben McCoy that Mai's been telling me about," Zuko said, breaking the icy silence. He stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you." Ben reluctantly and awkwardly shook it. His cheeks flushed scarlet, still embarrassed of being caught making out with Summer.

"And here's that famous Summer Dae who never flames, or loses her patience, and is always ready to forgive people!" Sokka exclaimed, sticking out his hand as well. His mouth transformed into an overly large grimace. Summer slapped his hand away.

"Zuko! Sokka!" Fyre came running over to them with Ellie and Linda following close behind. "What's going on?"

"I thought we told you to meet us outside the coffee shop," Ellie said impatiently, tapping her foot in obvious annoyance. Her face immediately brightened when she saw Summer and Ben. "Oh, hey, you guys! Do you want to come see the movie with us? We couldn't get in touch with you. Your cells were both off."

Linda studied Summer more closely. She'd always had a knack for reading people's faces.

"What's wrong?" she asked sympathetically.

A billion things were about to come rolling off Summer's tongue. Explanations at how happy she and Ben were and how Sokka and Zuko decided to ruin everything… but Ben interrupted before she could sputter a single thing.

"Sokka's just jealous, that's all," he said simply.

"Oh, really? That's all?" Fyre noted in slight sarcasm, eyeing Ben's arm that was still around Summer's shoulder. Summer began to tug at her hair again.

"I'm not jealous," Sokka protested loudly. "Why would I be jealous?" Zuko released a loud awkward cough. Summer's eyes widened threateningly at Sokka, who was still being careful not to make eye contact with her.

"Eh, maybe jealous was the wrong word. You're protective," Ben supplied, breaking into one of his signature grins. Summer took note of how sour he had been looking, and then how quickly he became happy again. Sokka didn't reply, but the look on his face said, _Yeah, right._

"Of what?" Fyre asked, and then turned to Summer, her voice growing deeper. "_What did you do_?" she demanded accusingly.

"This," Ben responded for her, swiping Summer around and planting a big kiss on her lips. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling and didn't let go. Her surprised expression quickly evaporated as the scene around her played out.

Zuko was doing his best not to watch and was taking note of a sunset cloud that looked like a silver sandwich. Fyre was also taking note at how she would love to take a bite out of the silver sandwich. Ellie was smiling smugly at Sokka's reaction. Linda was trying her hardest not to cry out of pure happiness… she was also trying, unsuccessfully, to contain a fangirly scream. And – Summer's favorite – Sokka's jaw had fallen so low she thought it was going to flop off his face.

She was embarrassed, of course (she didn't exactly _plan_ for her friends to witness her second kiss), but she too terribly happy to stay that way for long. Ben released her from the five-second kiss, and she whispered, "Again with the PMSing," so no one but he could hear. And as she grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug, she couldn't help but wonder…

_You know, this would make a fantastic filler for _Summer's Day_._

* * *

**Sokka: Disgusting.**

_As for a sneak peak of the next chapter…_ **This next chapter is about Beta Reading. You'll learn how to find the right Beta for you and how to **_**be**_** a good Beta Reader. Also, as is in every four chapters, **_Random Reviews and Replies_** will be featured.  
**  
_As for a review prompt… _ **As always, we love hearing what you think of us, what lessons you want us to teach, and things you'd like to happen… Wait. Was it a **_**FAN**_** who told Summer and Ben to make out?! Oh, when I find you, you're being banished to a hole, buddy! I will hunt you down!**


	14. Beta Reading - Toph

**Special thanks to: **_Justice333, Evil Riggs, music4evah, SpiritWolf14, Iam-Am-My-Own-Biggest-Mystery, Sleeping Kangaroo, Daughter of the sea, DAve and Bob, Irako of the Desert, sunflower13, MusicChangedMyLife, _**and **Ishi_ Bana-Bana._

**You all are amazing, and I can't believe I still have people following this story after I didn't update for over a year. I can't thank you enough!**

**Also, good news! My community full of well-written Avatar stories is #3 out of over 300 communities! Go subscribe if you haven't already. My readers are the bomb. :D**

* * *

**Beta Reading… Most Boring Job Ever**

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Linda Cleats called.

She stepped through a wooden archway and was immediately overwhelmed with the sweet scent of flowers. Before her lay a long brick path lined with bright-colored plants. Linda had to duck to avoid all the trees hanging around her. Their soft leaves grazed her cheeks as she began to make her way through the garden. She hoped that the FCP member who would be giving her a lesson on Beta Reading would be at the end of the path. Otherwise, she had just trespassed into a random person's botanical garden.

As she journeyed among the plants, Linda felt a strange sense of serenity. The feeling reminded her of when Iroh had given her a lesson a trimming down a story. Perhaps Iroh would be giving her another lesson today. She had enjoyed learning from him much more than from Azula. The thought that Azula had been in her bedroom unannounced to her still occasionally made her unable to sleep at night.

Linda continued moving down the path, and the amount of plants along the sides began to thin. She knew she was getting close. She was so excited to see who would be teaching her now, she couldn't –

"You are the complete opposite of Twinkles Toes! Your footsteps aren't light _at all_."

Linda spun around, sending her thick blonde hair flying. She spotted the 12-year old girl sitting lotus-style on top of a pile of rocks, maintaining perfect balance. Her hands were relaxed in her lap, and her grey eyes were staring straight ahead.

"Toph!"

A small smile spread onto Toph's mouth.

"By the end of this chapter, I'll come up with an appropriate nickname for you," she told Linda. "But for now, I should probably explain why I'm the gal teaching this lesson."

The earth-bender leaped from the stone tower onto the path with Linda.

"Beta Reading is a tough job to do well," she said decisively, not turning to face her. "You have to be patient and wait for the right moment to strike!"

Linda stared at her, completely dumbfound. After a short pause, Toph began to laugh.

"Nah, Tough Toes, you have to wait for the right moment to use criticism and right moment to give them a confidence boost."

"…did you just call me Tough Toes?" Linda asked.

"That doesn't have much of a ring to it, does it? I'll come up with a better one eventually, but let's get on with the lesson."

"Beta Readers," Linda completed. "How do I find one who's good for me? How do I work with them? How do I become a good Beta Reader?

"Be patient," Toph said, holding up a hand. "All those questions and more will be answered. First, for our audience members, we should probably tell people what Beta Readers are."

"Go ahead," Linda prompted.

"Beta Readers are editors who are available for FanFiction users to help them with their stories. Good Beta Readers should work to improve a story's grammar and spelling, characterization, basically everything that _Summer's Day_ is trying to help people with."

"How do I find one?" questioned Linda.

"Lucky for you, Strong Stepper, there are over two-thousand FanFiction users who are registered to beta Avatar stories," Toph said with a wide smile. "If you're willing to read through all of their profiles, you're sure to find someone who's perfect."

Linda frowned.

"You're kidding. No one has time to do that!"

Toph shook her head in agreement. "No, but if you just need an extra set of eyes to look over the piece, then you've got yourself covered two-thousand times over. The Beta bios are a good start. Being the esteemed member of the FCP that I am, I would take a look at their stories to see if they're any good first."

"Is there another way to find someone?"

"There's always another way. As for me, I prefer to have someone I know helping me out if I don't think the story is amazing yet. I have some friends around the fandom who I know are good at what they do. I'd ask for them to do me a favor, even if they're not registered."

"Then what?"

"Then, you follow this list to be a good Beta-ee…"

* * *

**Being a Good Beta-ee  
**_If you're an unpleasant author to work with, you're going to have trouble finding people who'll Beta you in the future. Here are a couple tips on Beta etiquette that a lot of people forget.  
_

_-Spelling and grammar, use it in the PMs… _I know that if I cringe at a private message's linguistics, I sure as heck am going to cringe at the story. Just remember to make the right first impression!

_-Don't send the first draft_… Do your best to work with the piece before you dump it on someone else. Nothing is worse than having to work with a story where you _know_ the author hasn't given it their all yet. If you show your Beta Reader that you're serious about this, they'll take it seriously too.

_-Tell them what you're looking for… _How do you make sure they comment on/proofread exactly what you're looking for? You tell them. This also shows them that you truly want the best for the story, and they should be more than happy to assist.

_-Patience is a virtue… _If they haven't replied to our PM after a few days, don't wander off and find someone new. Also, when you're waiting to get your document back, you can always send another polite PM. I usually don't do so until after several weeks. Depending on the length of the document, it could take them a little longer to get through it and do a thorough job.

_-Leniency isn't a virtue, but it should be…_ Similar to #4, because if not lenient, you'd better find a Beta Reader with no life. I usually don't send a document to a Beta if I'm under certain time constraints. This way, they're not under pressure and usually do a better job.

* * *

"Toph, this chapter is so formal!" Linda complained. "What happened to the crazy writing style? Something random needs to happen!"

Toph raised an eyebrow. "We are in a botanical garden where everything is full of peace and beauty. What do you want? Sokka to come barreling from the sky to add to comic relief?"

"Actually…"

"Bad idea," Toph said. "Let's just spew these next two lists so Summer can write the fun chapters."

"Good idea!" Linda said excitedly. "Next list!"

"Next up is for people who are need some tips on being a great Beta Reader."

* * *

**Be the Best Beta Reader EVARRR!  
**_No explanation necessary.  
Note: The qualifications for being a Beta Reader are under the "Beta Reader" tab of your account screen.  
_

_-Be polite_ – Whether you've offered your Beta services or they've asked you for help (in which case, you should be super flattered!), you have to be polite. In PMs, be helpful and nice or they won't ask you for help again… which may be what you want, but that's an issue for another time.

_-Be patient – _If you don't know how to use DocX, explain it to them with a smile on your face. If _you_ don't know how to use DocX, see the set of instructions later in the chapter. If they use exclamation points and caps lock way more than necessary in PMs, just grin and bear it. If they use those things in the story, then you can STRIKE THEM DOWN! …just kidding.

_-Know what you're doing_ – If you don't, they'll definitely be able to tell, and that's not good for your Beta Reading reputation. You don't have to completely rewrite the story for them. That's not in the job description, and if that's what they're expecting, then they're mistaken. For instance, if they have a reoccurring error, tell them in a note at the beginning of the document so they can fix it themself.

_-Ask for deadlines _– In other words, make sure there isn't a specific time they want their document back.

_-Be honest _– If you can't take on a job, tell them. When you're going through their story, point out everything you feel should be commented on and do it nicely. It's better to hear it from you than a flamer. Suggest, don't force, your comments. Whenever I Beta someone the first time, I tell them everything I say is a suggestion and that they have the final decision. After all, it's their story, not yours.

_-Support_! – Your job is to help this person out. If it's a good story, tell them. Make them a more confident writer, and let them know if there's incredible potential.

* * *

"This last _Summer's Day _feature for the chapter will probably be the most useful for people," Toph began. "How to use DocX!"

"What?" Linda didn't recognize the term.

"DocX!" Toph repeated.

"Come again?" She was still confused.

"Just read the instructions, Enormous Elephant."

"I do not appreciate that nickname."

* * *

**Using DocX  
**_FanFiction also provides instructions, but sometimes, it's easier to understand technology if the instructor actually speaks your language: teenager. DocX is a useful way to send documents from user to user. You can send your Beta Reader your story, and they can send it back with colored comments. Fun stuff! Feel free to copy and paste these directions to your Beta-ee if they don't know how to use DocX._

_1. **Connections** – _Go to the "DocX" tab in your account screen. It's right between "Beta Reader" and "Community." Click "Connections" and type your Beta Reader/Beta-ee's name into the box. Make sure the settings are under _PenName_. I've struggled with that sucker for ages, not knowing why it wouldn't take the name. _Both you and your Beta Reader/Beta-ee must establish a connection to send documents._

_2. **Upload** – _Upload your document in the Document Manager, under the "Publish" tab. Make sure you select the option of uploading it as a DocX document.

_3. **Send it!** – _Go to the "Outbox" tab underneath the "DocX" tab. There should be a place for you to select who you send it to, choose the document, and then leave a few comments. Good luck!

_Not too confusing, right? Just remember that if you're receiving a document, you have to upload it within 7 days from when it was first sent. Otherwise, it'll be deleted._

* * *

"And, as we do every four chapters, we will be having a short section with random reviews and replies," Toph said. "For those of you who don't remember, we just take a few reviews that the FCP thinks have some benefit for our viewers."

"Here we go!" Linda declared.

* * *

_**Irako of the Desert:**__ Irako is a wonderful reviewer who is always ready to touch upon how IC my characters are and give me reliable feedback. Below is what a useful IC scale she provided in a review that you can rate yourself on:  
_

**Tier 4:** They aren't in character at all and now I want to scrub out my eyes.  
**Tier 3:** They're in roughly the same ball park, but sometimes they use words that I don't think they would normally use. Like Zuko using "absolutely" repeatedly. He just doesn't seem like the type to use extreme words, you know?  
**Tier 2:** You're doing very well with keeping them in character. In my mind, I hear Dante Basco and Mae Whitman and friggin' Grey DeLisle. (but I don't actually see them moving yet)  
**Tier 1:** Mastermind of being in-characterness, you have achieved the most difficult level! Not only am I hearing voices, I'm seeing them interact as if I was watching an actual episode. Continue to work hard and do your best!

_**GrayShoedWonder:**__ Another of my intelligent reviewers with some interesting points about Mary Sues and OCs:  
_

I like this chapter - more people could do with fleshed out OCs. This chapter is good not only for FF, but for completely original writing as well. I once read this book (it's actually still on the shelves and was recently published, to my disgust) and the main character was such a Mary Sue I couldn't even finish reading it. The character was neither developed nor flawed. It was truly awful, and I sincerely regret that it ever got published. But, there was nothing I could do about it.  
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_Summer here. Personally, I feel like people are more accepting of Mary Sue characters in original works of fiction. I just finished reading a fabulous book where the main character was a flaming Mary Sue, but I still sympathized with her and enjoyed reading. Your thoughts?_

_**MusicChangedMyLife: **__A new reviewer who had some interesting questions that I was just dying to answer!_

I'd like to go in depth about IC stuff. My story is Zuko/OC, so how would Zuko react to things that she says or does? Zuko has so many different layers, just like a good character should? And if this could count as a category, could you help a writer following the line of the story make the story more their own? I love having a script set out for me, and my story is from a different character's view, but sometimes, I feel like I'm copying.  
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_Summer here again. The best advice I can give you to explore the layers of his persona is to study up on Zuko's personality in the show. He is without a doubt one of the hardest to keep in character. Why? He's also one of the most popular characters in the series, so he makes an appearance in too many fan stories. There are numerous interpretations on his character, but there are some qualities that are indisputable. The best source I can give you is the Avatar wiki page for him: wiki/Zuko - Scroll down to "_Personality_."_

_Also, think of the way he interacts with the various girls in the show. Katara, Mai, Ty Lee, Azula, Suki, Toph. They all have certain qualities, so if you can pick out what your OC has in common with some of these girls, you can better predict what Zuko will do._

_As for your second question, I've done a story like that. Mine was from the point of view of characters who weren't in every scene, so I could have them going off and doing their own thing while still tying it into the original story. The key is to keep a complete open mind on the various things the characters could be thinking about/doing when you're not using the show's script. _Do not_ rewrite the entire series from one of the main character's points of views. FanFictioners have seen it, they don't need to read it all over again. If you can have a completely original take on a character with new scenes, events, and emotions, you have a story worth telling._

* * *

"Do you feel ready to be Beta Reader yet, Firm Feet?" Toph asked her pupil.

"I don't really know…" Linda's voice trailed off as she looked away.

Toph punched the side of Linda's arm. "You help Summer all the time with editing her stories. I know that for a fact, and you do a pretty good job of it too. There are a lot of good FanFictioners out there who could be awesome Beta Readers, but they're too unsure to try. There are a lot of harsh Beta Readers out there, and FanFiction could use some more people who can balance criticism and compliments. You're a good writer, Linda, and a good editor. Just go for it already and do some good for this fandom."

"Thanks, Toph," she said, grimacing as she rubbed her arm. She also took note of how the girl actually used her first name for once. "Well, this is a pretty cheesy way to end this chapter then, don't you think?"

"I think the readers of _Summer's Day_ could use a little normalcy for once," Toph replied dismissively. "Especially when they find out what's in store for them in the next chapter."

* * *

_As for a sneak peak of the next chapter… _**Are you dying for a good read? Look no further, because Chapter 15 is full of useful book reviews. We also pinpoint what makes these books so popular so you can incorporate similar themes into your own stories. You really don't want to miss Ty Lee, Firelord Ozai, and Momo's opinions on books like **_Twilight, The Hunger Games, The Lost Hero,_** and more! ****  
**_  
As for a review prompt…_ **Let us know what book that you think other SD readers should take a look at. We'll feature them all in our next chapter. As usual, we're also open to lessons you want us to teach.**


	15. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

"ACTION!"

Summer Dae smiled brightly at the broadcast camera. She folded her hands and placed them on the shiny wooden desk in front of her.

"Hello, my lovely listening audience," she began. "I have the biggest announcement ever announced in _Summer's Day_! Unfortunately, it had to be put in story format since technically, author's notes aren't supposed to be chapters…"

"You're getting distracted," said Sokka from behind the camera.

"Oh, you're right. My big news is that I have decided to MASSIVELY EDIT THIS STORY! Isn't that exciting?!" she declared, raising her arms and flashing a particularly wide grin.

Sokka frowned and waved his hand, signaling: _Just keep going. No one's here to share your excitement._

"Now, I know what you're thinking. Why would you do that, Summer? What's the point since you're not going to update for years anyway?" She bit her lip. "I apologize for the ridiculous update wait time; I truly am. I've been super busy lately with life, and FanFiction wasn't high on my priorities –"

"Getting distracted," Sokka reminded her.

"Oh, you're right. But now FanFiction is back on the priorities list!" she continued. "You are _definitely_ going to want to read this new version of the story."

She had a glint in her eye that resembled a charismatic car salesman. "Yes, I'm improving the basic story mechanics. I've learned a lot since I started _Summer's Day _four years ago. I'm also adding a lot more lists and other features that will help in your own writing adventures."

"Yay, more lists," said Sokka sarcastically.

She ignored him. "You can expect more substantial lessons on the existing topics. Plus, look forward to chapters on conquering writers block, editing, suspense, crossovers, titles and summaries, becoming more popular on FanFiction, and more!" She glanced at her notes. "Also, at the moment, the actual storyline of _Summer's Day _is weak – there are plot holes that need filling. That's why I'm adding more character dynamics and a teensy bit or drama. Just enough so that the narrative is interesting, but you still get thorough lessons."

"I didn't know about that," her cameraman interrupted. "Wait, do you mean there will be new people?"

"There will be more _Avatar_ characters teaching lessons," Summer assured him. "There are still six fans, but Mikyla is being replaced. You'd also be surprised by how interesting a plot can get when you add background to one-dimensional characters."

"That's more like it!"

"There's one more important thing I'd like to add," Summer said warily. "I'm in the process of writing all twenty-five chapters. I'm going to finish them _all_ before I post anything. After that, updates will come once every two weeks. The entire story will be published within the year."

"LIES!"

Summer gave Sokka a glare. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't interrupt unless I was getting distracted," she said through gritted teeth. "Besides, I'm not lying. I just wanted to warn everybody since this is a really big project. It's time consuming, but I'm one-hundred percent motivated to make it awesome! The final product will be _totally_ worth it."

"Promise?"

She held up a hand and placed the other over her heart. "Promise. Thank you all very much for your wonderful support. The _Avatar_ fandom is truly a wonderful place for authors of all ages to get their work out there, and I only hope I can contribute to its quality even more with this revamp."

"Mention your community," Sokka whispered so loudly it wasn't even worth whispering.

Summer snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "Oh, I'm so glad I remembered. I want to mention my community!"

Sokka slapped his forehead.

"Thank you all SO much for making my _Save the Fandom_ community #3 out of over three-hundred _Avatar_ communities. I'm so thrilled that people are taking an interest in good _Avatar_ stories – "

"Okay, enough sappiness. Let's wrap this up."

Summer took a deep breath and quickly said, "In a nutshell: prepare for an EPIC rendition of this baby with more lessons, new characters, an engaging plot, and quirky humor. And thank you for all the support. I'll see you at the next update!"

She flashed another grin, and Sokka stopped recording. Summer spun around in the swivel chair, her mind swirling with the great things she had in store for _Summer's Day_. She gathered her notes and was heading back to her desk when she heard Sokka's nervous laughter from the other room.

"Summer? Funny story. The camera didn't record _any_ of that…"

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**Do you have suggestions (which would be awesome), questions, complaints, or other thoughts about this? Review or PM me, and I will respond! :)**


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